MIKE ROBERSON SEEN AS CONTROVERSIAL, WEAK & VULNERABLE BY PRO TRUMP NV GOP LEADERSHIP

February 25, 2018

In 2015, Republican Senate Minority leader Michael Roberson was seen by many as a rising star who hitched his wagon to Governor Sandoval. Roberson carried Sandoval’s water in the senate authoring and jamming through legislation extremely unpopular with Republican base voters.

In 2016, Roberson ran for the open seat, the 3rd Congressional District of Nevada, vacated by moderate Republican Joe Heck. CD3 overlapped the senate district Roberson occupied for three terms. Roberson faced a 7-way shoot off in the Republican primary. But everyone in Carson City was already fighting over his leadership seat assuming he was going to win. After all, Roberson had the support of the Nevada establishment including the Governor and boatloads of money. In fact, Roberson outspent Danny Tarkanian four to one. But even with all the king’s men and all the king’s gold, Roberson still lost to Danny Tarkanian in a seven-way race by a monster 8 points.

So when Attorney General Adam Laxalt tapped Roberson as his running mate for Lt. Governor last year conservatives’ confusion and frustration was whispered behind closed doors. The fear of a Gov. Roberson somehow emerging in the future is unthinkable. Roberson embodies everything conservatives stand against. Roberson was a never Trumper who authored and jammed through the largest tax increase in Nevada’s history, $1.3 Billion. Roberson authored SB 303, driver’s licenses for illegal aliens and blocked major firearms legislation like campus carry and CCW reforms. He increased the minimum wage, backed common core and then failed to fund Education Saving accounts, all while being the Majority leader of the Nevada State Senate. Roberson’s policies led to an all-out civil war in 2016 within the party between the RINO (Republican in name only) leadership of the party and conservative base voters.

The 2016 civil war led to the destruction of the Republican Party’s majorities in the both the State Senate and State Assembly. But the Republican base voters destroyed Roberson’s hopes of moving up to Congress, with many base voters not willing to give him a second chance.

But that is exactly what the unapologetic Roberson asked for yesterday in Hawthorne when he addressed the Nevada GOP. But the very Pro-Trump GOP central committee has long memories and still blame Roberson for his policies, seen by many as a failure. Roberson’s reception yesterday in Hawthorne Nevada when he addressed the statewide party leadership could be compared to kids being forced to eat broccoli by washing it down with milk.

Many worried that Roberson’s controversial and racist remarks described by Sen. Farley could be a huge political liability in the general election and could hurt Laxalt.

According to State Senator Patricia Farley, she and African American Democrat State Senator Kelvin Atkinson exchanged a few heated words in the hallway in the State Senate Building. Senator Roberson then called her into his office where Senator Ford, Senator Atkinson and several other Senators and staff were present. It was there, according to Democrat sources and Senator Farley, Senator Roberson launched into an attack on Senator Atkinson, smearing him saying “I will not have one of my female Senators threatened in the hallway, made to feel that her personal safety is at risk”.

After everyone left the room, according to Sen. Farley, she told Mike Roberson “I was never threatened, that never happened.” According to Farley, Roberson admitted he made up the smear because “You have to consider how bad this looks to their base.” According to Farley, Roberson went on to say “You have an African American man threatening a white female.”

Listen to the audio below.

Yesterday, several potential challengers to Roberson’s coronation emerged, including Scott Lafata, Eugene Hoover, and former Assemblyman Brent Jones. Roberson is viewed as weak and unelectable by the Pro-Trump Republican-leadership. And the numbers reflect Roberson’s perceived weakness. Roberson, who raised millions of dollars for his failed run for Congress just 2 years ago, has barely raised over $100,000 so far, according to his most recent report.

Conservative businessman, Brent Jones met with several party leaders from Northern Nevada yesterday and they all were eager for anyone but Roberson to run for Lt. Governor. Jones pledged to contribute up to $250,000 to his race if he decides to run, putting him in the lead for money right from the start. The other Republican challengers have little or no money so far.

Who would have thought one of the key races to watch in the 2018 primary season would be the Republican Lt. Governor’s seat? Along with the primary races for CD3 and the U.S. Senate race between never Trumper Dean Heller and Danny Tarkanian, the Lt. Governor’s race will be key to the party’s future direction. Will the party continue to reject the RINO’s or will their money and power keep them in office in the party of Trump?

360Daily has made numerous invitations to Mike Roberson to speak with us and to do interviews over the past year and our door is always open to him, even today. In fact, we invite him to write a column which we will publish without any editing.

Rob Lauer
Political Reporter

(disclosure: Brent Jones’s highly successful businesses, Real Water and Real MMA have been commercial sponsors of 360 Daily)