Governor candidate tours Douglas County

Citing his experience in every branch of government, candidate for governor Brian Sandoval made his way through Carson Valley on Wednesday.

A Republican, Sandoval, 46, is seeking to topple first-term Gov. Jim Gibbons in the June 8 primary.

Sandoval resigned from the federal bench to run for governor, something he said was an indication of his dedication to the state's residents.

He served two terms in the Nevada Legislature and was attorney general when he was appointed to the bench.

"I respect that position and I enjoyed it," he said of the judgeship. "My entire life has been dedicated to public service. It would have been easy to stay. It's more of a demonstration of my dedication to the state."

Sandoval has lived in Northern Nevada all his life. His family first arrived in Churchill County before moving to Sparks. He graduated from Bishop Manogue High School and the University of Nevada, Reno, before attending law school.

He was in Douglas County on the second leg of his 100 schools and 100 businesses tour of the state. He visited Douglas High School on Wednesday morning.

As a former attorney general, Sandoval said he would have met with Catherine Cortez-Masto to convince her to file a lawsuit against the federal government on the federal health care bill.

"Nevada should be in that case," he said. "It required the governor going across the street to visit with the attorney general."

He said he would forcefully pursue his policies of protecting education while balancing the budget without raising taxes.

"I would be active in the Legislature," he said. "I would be personally involved in defending my budget and be able to balance it without raising taxes."