Republican Lowden the Front-Runner in Nevada

Matt Lewis | November 12, 2009 1:36 PM

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I have been around enough campaigns to know that you can usually identify the front-runner as the candidate who has the most wacky, personal attacks thrown at them.

Sue Lowden is the front-runner in the Republican primary to unseat Majority Leader Harry Reid, and if the election were held today -- she would win by double digits (so would Republican Danny Tarkanian, by the way). Still, there's a long way to go -- and she will surely have to fend off attacks from her Republican opponents, as well as from the Harry Reid political machine.

The latest controversy regards accusations that, as Chairman of the Nevada GOP, Lowden may have suggested using showgirls to spice up a 2008 John McCain campaign rally at the Las Vegas airport. On a phone interview this morning, Lowden denied officially submitting this idea as proposal, though she said it's entirely possible she may have joked about it at some point.

Regardless of the veracity of this, the accusation hardly seems controversial. After all,

it is typical protocol for Las Vegas' Mayor to greet dignitaries at the airport with Show Girls. Having showgirls greet a candidate in, say, Alabama, might raise some eyebrows -- but in Las Vegas, of all places -- it's not really taboo. In fact, it's an iconic part of the Las Vegas tourism industry.

Of course, this is really a distraction from the issues that matter, and from the fact that Lowden seems to have the best shot at ousting Harry Reid. If you are interested in the conservative record of Sue Lowden and what kind of Senator she would be, read her recent op-ed on BigGovernment.com.