Gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid said the potential that he could share the ballot with his famous father isn't something he spends a lot of time thinking about.
Reid is the son of U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, who is facing challenges from several Republicans. If the younger Reid makes it past the primary, both men will appear a short distance apart on the ballot.
"I've gone around the state where people ask me about unemployment and other issues in the campaign, but nobody wants to see my family tree," he said in Gardnerville on Friday. "People want their lives to be better. They will make a decision based on who they think answers the question what future is there for them in Nevada."
Reid touted his 30-page plan for improving Nevada's economy, but said he wasn't ready to talk about where the money is going to come from for those items that require an investment.
"With the exception of two things, there's nothing in here that isn't budget neutral or that hasn't been shown to be successful in some other state without any investment or minimal investment," he said. "The only two things that would cost a significant amount of money are education and infrastructure."
He said the focus of his plan is what can be done now with the resources the state has.
"I can't point today to the money that would be used for either of those things," he said. "I'm focused on the things we can do now to improve the economy now, so that when the next governor has to put a budget forward in January of 2011, hopefully the facts will be better then they are now."
Improving the economy will be the key issue in the 2010 election, Reid said.
"Unemployment is at unacceptable levels," he said. "Any elected official who isn't talking about jobs right now is confused about what's going on today. Our unemployment rate is at record levels, and it's probably not done growing, since unemployment lags behind recovery."
The next governor will face a budget deficit that will probably be larger than the last, Reid said. That governor will also be facing a very different Legislature, thanks to term limits.
But he said he feels people will come together to solve some of the state's problems.
"This is a different kind of election because people want to know how they are going to get a job and how the economy is going to be better and how it will sustain them and their children and their grandchildren," he said. "I want to be the candidate, notwithstanding my political party, who steps forward with practical solutions, to make sure our economy prospers."
Reid said his background in local government pulls some of the partisanship out of politics.
"Potholes aren't partisan, air quality is not partisan," he said. "When you turn on your water faucet, you want water to come out. You want a road that takes you where you want to be. You want a community that's planned well. My experience has been in that context, look at a problem, bring people together, and you come up with a solution based on the merits."
