Sharron Angle
Encyclopedia
Sharron Elaine Angle is an American
politician who served as a Republican
member of the Nevada Assembly
from 1999 to 2007. She ran unsuccessfully as the 2010
Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate
seat in Nevada
, garnering 45 percent of the vote. On March 16, 2011, she announced that she would run for the House seat held by Dean Heller
, who was appointed to the Senate. She has since dropped out of this race, citing dissatisfaction with the election procedure.
, and moved to Reno, Nevada
, when she was three. Her father is a Navy
veteran of World War II
and served in the Navy Reserve
during the Korean War
. She attended public schools in Reno and later obtained a bachelor of fine arts
from the University of Nevada
. During her senior year of college in 1970, she married Theodore ("Ted") Angle, who worked for the federal government's Bureau of Land Management
as a manager. Ted and Sharron Angle had two children and, as of November 2010, ten grandchildren.
Angle, a Southern Baptist, graduated from University of Nevada, Reno
with a degree in fine arts. After graduation, she worked as a substitute teacher
for 25 years, ran a small Christian school
for two years, and taught art for five years as a lecturer at Western Nevada Community College in Winnemucca
.
In 2003, she hired John C. Eastman
of the Claremont Institute to fight the Supreme Court
decision when then Governor Kenny Guinn
sued the Legislature
to nullify
the state constitution
and allow a simple majority
of the legislature to pass an $836 million tax increase in Angle v. Guinn. Angle used her personal funds to defend the state constitution's two-thirds vote requirement to raise taxes and, with Eastman, took the case to Federal District Court in Nevada
, which referred it to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and finally to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Legislature subsequently passed the $836 million tax increase by a two-thirds vote. Angle ultimately prevailed in the suit; in 2006, the state supreme court
reversed its 2003 decision and restored the Nevada Constitution's two-thirds vote provision.
In 2003, Angle attempted to arrange a trip to an Ensenada, Baja California
prison to assess a drug treatment program implemented there. She also arranged to visit a prison in New Mexico
to assess the "Second Chance Program
", which licensed its materials from Criminon
, a program for rehabilitating prisoners using methods developed by Scientology
founder L. Ron Hubbard
. Angle sponsored legislation aimed at placing this program in certain women's prisons in Nevada.
In 2005, she was the sole voter against a bill that split the property tax
abatement by applying a 3% rate to residential and 8% rate to commercial property. She stated that she voted no because the Nevada Constitution states that taxation must be uniform and equal and so could not vote against her oath of office to which she swore to "uphold and defend the Constitution."
for U.S. Congress in which was vacated by Rep. Jim Gibbons. Nevada Secretary of State
Dean Heller
received 24,781 votes to Angle's 24,353. Gibbons' wife Dawn
, a former State Assemblywoman herself, finished with 17,328 votes. On August 25, Angle called for a new primary election on the grounds that some poll workers showed up late for work, or didn't show up at all, in Washoe County
, where she was the strongest. On September 1, the Carson District Judge denied her appeal for a new election.
at a rally in the nation's capital. The next day, she received an endorsement from conservative talk radio personality Mark Levin
and she was endorsed by several other conservative individuals and organizations, including the Club for Growth
, Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher
, singer Pat Boone
, and Phyllis Schlafly
.
Despite this support, some prominent Republicans opposed her candidacy. Immediately after the primary, the Republican mayor of Reno
, Bob Cashell
, who backed Lowden in the Republican primary, endorsed Reid for the general election, calling Angle an "ultra-right winger". Other notable Republicans opposing her included Sig Rogich
, a former campaign staffer for Ronald Reagan
and assistant to President George H. W. Bush
; Geno Martini, the Republican mayor of Sparks
; Republican State Senator
and Minority Leader
William Raggio
; Dema Guinn, the widow of the late Republican Governor of Nevada Kenny Guinn
; and former Lieutenant Governor Sue Wagner
.
The Washington Post reported on May 28 that Angle was in a "statistical dead heat" with her opponent, Sue Lowden
, citing a poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research
Using the same poll data, the Las Vegas Review-Journal
speculated that Lowden would win 42 percent of the vote over Reid's 39 percent, and that Reid would win 42 percent of the vote over Angle's 39 percent with a margin of error "plus or minus 4 percentage points." On June 6, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported that according to a new Mason-Dixon poll, Angle had "shot into a clear lead in the U.S. Senate Republican Primary" and predicted that she would win the nomination with 32% of the vote and would defeat Harry Reid
44% to 41%.
Angle went on to win the Republican nomination. A June 9, 2010, Rasmussen Reports
post-primary poll showed her leading incumbent Senator Harry Reid by a margin of 50% to 39%. A July 2010 poll showed Reid leading Angle by seven points. The change of margin, 18% in less than a month, is the largest in Senate elections history.
On October 3, Nevada's largest newspaper Las Vegas Review-Journal endorsed her bid for U.S. Senate against Reid. That same month, Nevada Tea Party candidate Scott Ashjian
released a tape to the media of a recorded conversation he had with Angle where she asked him to drop out of the race. In the tape, Angle speaks candidly about her campaign and says that she cannot defeat Reid with Ashjian on the ballot.
One of Angle's campaign ads aired on television late in her campaign entitled "The Wave" was cited as racist and despicable by Sen. Robert Menendez.
On election day, Angle received the support of about 45% of voters, allowing Reid to return to the Senate.
after she allegedly posted entire articles from the publication on her campaign website without permission. After the campaign ended, it was revealed that the campaign developed a code word
to alert office workers if the media entered the campaign headquarters: "It's time to water the plants."
noted that Angle's website credited her with a successful bill against psychotropic drugs in schools, a position also supported by Scientologists
, and that she had accompanied celebrity Scientologists
Jenna Elfman
and Kelly Preston
to promote the bill in the U.S. Senate. Angle herself promoted a similar bill in the Nevada Assembly but was not successful.
During a KVBC
-hosted debate on Face to Face with Jon Ralston, Angle was asked "about recent whispers that an Angle legislative proposal to explore a program of massages and sweat-boxes for Nevada prisons was a strange foray into Scientology", a reference to her 2003 proposal to study the program implemented in Mexico and New Mexico. Angle responded, "This program had a recidivism rate of less than 10 percent. They aren't massages. ... it was more of a karate chop. The sauna was a sweat box. When you're in there with 30 guys, it's not exactly a sauna."
Angle has repeatedly denied "the rumor that she's a Scientologist", stating that the controversy had been "largely distorted". Regarding these claims relating to Scientology, Angle told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "The way to ruin a conservative is to pass them off as part of the radical fringe. They always try to marginalize me."
supporters that "Sharia
law" had taken over the cities of Dearborn, Michigan
and Frankford, Texas and that these locations represented a "militant terrorist situation." These comments were scrutinized, as Frankford, Texas was annexed by Dallas in 1975 and now consists only of a small church and cemetery. Dearborn mayor John O'Reilly criticized Angle as well, saying that "There's no sharia law in Dearborn, Mich. ... It isn't even talked about in Dearborn," that Angle's claims were dishonest, and that "Muslim
s have been practicing their faith in our community for almost 90 years without incident or conflict. To suggest that they have taken over ignores the fact that Dearborn hosts seven mosque
s and 60 Christian churches."
ambassador to the U.S. Gary Doer
has asked Angle to retract her baseless assertion that the 9/11 hijackers entered the United States through Canada. Angle claims that the U.S.-Canada border is the "most porous border we have" and "what we know is our northern border is where the terrorists came through." U.S. law enforcement determined that the hijackers entered the U.S. directly from third countries with visas issued by the U.S.
named the Patriot Caucus to "organize a ground game across most battleground states for the 2012 election cycle". According to Politico, Angle "[dropped] it in February ahead of a decision to run for the Republican nomination for a Nevada House seat."
(R-NV), who will run for the Senate seat held by retiring John Ensign
(R-NV) in 2012.
On April 21, 2011 John Ensign announced that on May 3 he would resign his Senate seat. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval
appointed Dean Heller
to the seat. Many political pundits have speculated that this may cause trouble for Angle, because under Nevada Law, a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives would either be open election, which would benefit Angle due to her Conservative grassroots voting base, or each party would hold a nominating convention, which could hurt Angle due to her tenuous ties to the Nevada Republican Party
following her unsuccessful 2010 Senate Election
campaign. Should Heller be appointed, a nominating convention be held, and Angle not receive the nomination, some speculate that she could mount an Independent campaign in a special election. On May 2, Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller
announced that an open election would be held for the seat. On May 25, Angle announced that she would not run for the seat, calling the process a "mockery".
should be eliminated, citing that the local approach yields the best academic results ("[The] best education is the education that is controlled closest to the local level as possible.") Angle also holds that the Department of Education is "unconstitutional" and should not be involved in dictating educational standards from Washington, D.C.
, saying it is a bastion of liberal ideology and "the umpire on fraudulent science such as global warming
."
to ban same-sex marriage
. She believes that households in which only one spouse works outside the home is the best way to raise a family. Angle is pro-life
and opposes abortion
, including in cases of rape
or incest
. In a June 2010 radio interview, broadcast statewide in Nevada, Angle stated that she had counseled young girls in "very at risk, difficult pregnancies" to consider other alternatives, by which they had been able to make "a lemon situation into lemonade."
mandates the separation of church and state
.
. She voted against fluoridating
drinking water.
Angle opposes abortion
, even in cases of rape and incest, saying that it is against God's "plan". In 1999, the Associated Press
reported that Angle had proposed a bill that "would have required doctors to inform women seeking abortions about a controversial theory linking an increased risk of breast cancer
with abortion". When she introduced the legislation again in 2001, the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote that critics responded by saying the alleged link was not supported by scientific evidence, calling the bill a "scare tactic".
During the 2010 campaign, Angle told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that, as a state legislator, she had sponsored a bill to remove the requirement that health insurers cover mammograms and colonoscopies
. In a debate among the Republican candidates, she repeated her support for lifting "mandates" on insurance companies. When Reid criticized this position, however, Angle accused him of making "a blatantly false claim that I tried to repeal a law that makes insurance companies cover mammograms."
system should be "transitioned out". In May 2010, the Las Vegas Review-Journal
reported that Angle had claimed in a radio interview on KNPR that "[her] grandfather wouldn't even take his Social Security check because he said he was not up for welfare." The following month the Reid campaign reacted with a television ad stating that "Sharron Angle would end Medicare and Social Security. This is crazy." Angle has spoken favorably of the program in Chile
, where current beneficiaries of the public retirement system were allowed to continue but all others were compelled to pay into a private system instead.
code and abolishing Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
, saying "Sharron doesn't want to make alcohol illegal," and noting that she has never introduced legislation along those lines, and even voted against taxes on alcohol. "Alcohol is a legal substance, and adults can choose to imbibe," Stacy said.
. "I'm a clean-air proponent," she stated. "I don't, however, buy into the whole man-caused global warming, man-caused climate change mantra of the left. I believe that there's not sound science to back that up."
, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
and development of American-owned petroleum
resources. In the Nevada State Legislature, she led efforts to reduce Nevada's high gas tax
, which was the second highest in the nation. She would also have supported the three coal-fired plants in Ely
.
After President
Obama
secured agreement by BP
to commit $20 billion to compensate victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
, Angle denounced the arrangement, calling it a "slush fund
". When she was criticized for her comment, however, she retracted the term "slush fund" and said that BP should pay for the consequences of the spill.
, the right to keep and bear arms, in her rhetoric on several occasions. Angle has said, "What is a little bit disconcerting and concerning is the inability for sporting goods stores to keep ammunition in stock ... That tells me the nation is arming. What are they arming for if it isn't that they are so distrustful of their government? They're afraid they'll have to fight for their liberty in more Second Amendment kinds of ways?" and "That's why I look at this as almost an imperative. If we don't win at the ballot box, what will be the next step?" On Bill Manders' radio show, she stated that the Second Amendment is "to defend ourselves. And you know, I'm hoping that we're not getting to Second Amendment remedies. I hope the vote will be the cure for the Harry Reid problems." On Lars Larson
's radio show, she stated "You know, our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government. In fact Thomas Jefferson said it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years. I hope that's not where we're going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying, 'My goodness, what can we do to turn this country around?' I'll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out."
Asked to comment on the latter, her spokesman Jerry Stacy said via email: "Sharron Angle does not advocate a revolution. Her goal is to go to Washington with other like-minded elected officials who understand the proper role of the federal government as already defined by our Constitution."
Congressman Jim Clyburn
said in January 2011 that "Sharron Angle's endorsement of 'Second Amendment remedies' in her losing Nevada campaign against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid contributed to the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
." Columnist E.J. Dionne did not blame Angle, but he did point out the connection between her call for "Second Amendment remedies" and the 2011 Tucson shooting
. CBS News
, in a "nationwide telephone poll" of 673 adults, with a margin of error of 4%, found that "57 percent of respondents said the harsh political tone had nothing to do with the shooting, compared to 32 percent who felt it did."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician who served as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Nevada Assembly
Nevada Assembly
The Nevada Assembly is the lower house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada. The body consists of 42 members, elected to two-year terms from single-member districts. Each Assembly district contained approximately 47,400 people as of the 2000 census, although...
from 1999 to 2007. She ran unsuccessfully as the 2010
United States Senate election in Nevada, 2010
-Tarkanian:-Angle:-Polling:Includes current candidates who have polled at least 2% in at least one poll.-Results:-Candidates:*Harry Reid , incumbent U.S...
Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seat in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, garnering 45 percent of the vote. On March 16, 2011, she announced that she would run for the House seat held by Dean Heller
Dean Heller
Dean A. Heller is the junior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Republican Party. Heller was appointed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to a vacant seat created by the resignation of John Ensign. He was previously a member of the United States House of Representatives,...
, who was appointed to the Senate. She has since dropped out of this race, citing dissatisfaction with the election procedure.
Early life
Angle was born in Klamath Falls, OregonKlamath Falls, Oregon
Klamath Falls is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. Originally called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867, after the Link River on whose falls this city sat, although no falls currently exist; the name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1892...
, and moved to Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, when she was three. Her father is a Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
veteran of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and served in the Navy Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. She attended public schools in Reno and later obtained a bachelor of fine arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
from the University of Nevada
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
. During her senior year of college in 1970, she married Theodore ("Ted") Angle, who worked for the federal government's Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
as a manager. Ted and Sharron Angle had two children and, as of November 2010, ten grandchildren.
Angle, a Southern Baptist, graduated from University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
with a degree in fine arts. After graduation, she worked as a substitute teacher
Substitute teacher
A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, or other reasons. "Substitute teacher" is the most commonly used phrase in the United States, Canada and Ireland, while supply teacher is the most commonly...
for 25 years, ran a small Christian school
Christian school
A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization.The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures...
for two years, and taught art for five years as a lecturer at Western Nevada Community College in Winnemucca
Winnemucca, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,174 people, 2,736 households, and 1,824 families residing in the city. The population density was 867.5 people per square mile . There were 3,280 housing units at an average density of 396.6 per square mile...
.
Nevada Assembly
In 1998, Angle won election to the Nevade State Assembly and served until 2006. During her time in the 42-member assembly, she voted "no" so frequently on matters of wide consensus that votes were often called as "41-to-Angle".In 2003, she hired John C. Eastman
John C. Eastman
John C. Eastman is an American law professor and politician. He is the Donald P. Kennedy Chair in Law and former Dean at Chapman University School of Law. in Orange, California...
of the Claremont Institute to fight the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
decision when then Governor Kenny Guinn
Kenny Guinn
Kenneth Carroll "Kenny" Guinn was an American businessman, educator and politician. He was the 27th Governor of Nevada from 1999 to 2007. He was a member of the Republican Party and a former member of the Democratic Party....
sued the Legislature
Nevada Legislature
The Nevada Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Legislature is a bicameral body, consisting of the lower house Nevada Assembly, with 42 members, and the upper house Nevada Senate, with 21 members. All 63 members of the Legislature are elected from an equal amount of...
to nullify
Nullification (U.S. Constitution)
Nullification is a legal theory that a State has the right to nullify, or invalidate, any federal law which that state has deemed unconstitutional...
the state constitution
Constitution of Nevada
The Constitution of the State of Nevada is the organic law of the state of Nevada, and the basis for Nevada's statehood as one of the United States.-History:The Nevada Constitution was created in 1864 at a convention on July 4 in Carson City...
and allow a simple majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
of the legislature to pass an $836 million tax increase in Angle v. Guinn. Angle used her personal funds to defend the state constitution's two-thirds vote requirement to raise taxes and, with Eastman, took the case to Federal District Court in Nevada
United States District Court for the District of Nevada
The United States District Court for the District of Nevada is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Nevada. The court has locations in Las Vegas and Reno....
, which referred it to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and finally to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Legislature subsequently passed the $836 million tax increase by a two-thirds vote. Angle ultimately prevailed in the suit; in 2006, the state supreme court
Supreme Court of Nevada
The Supreme Court of Nevada is the state supreme court of Nevada. It is the highest judicial body of the Nevada state government.There are seven Justices of the court, who are elected to six-year terms in officially nonpartisan elections. The Governor appoints Justices in the case of a vacancy...
reversed its 2003 decision and restored the Nevada Constitution's two-thirds vote provision.
In 2003, Angle attempted to arrange a trip to an Ensenada, Baja California
Ensenada, Baja California
Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico and the third-largest city in Baja California. It is located south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula. The city is locally referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico, or, The Cinderella of the Pacific...
prison to assess a drug treatment program implemented there. She also arranged to visit a prison in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
to assess the "Second Chance Program
Second Chance Program
The Second Chance Program is a controversial detoxification and rehabilitation program based on the ideas of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology. It focuses on individuals convicted of substance abuse offenses. The program utilizes a combination of saunas, vitamins, minerals...
", which licensed its materials from Criminon
Criminon
Criminon is a program for rehabilitating prisoners using L. Ron Hubbard's teachings. Criminon International, a non-profit, public-benefit corporation managing the Criminon program, was spawned from Narconon International in 2000, and is part of Association for Better Living and Education's public...
, a program for rehabilitating prisoners using methods developed by Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
founder L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
. Angle sponsored legislation aimed at placing this program in certain women's prisons in Nevada.
In 2005, she was the sole voter against a bill that split the property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
abatement by applying a 3% rate to residential and 8% rate to commercial property. She stated that she voted no because the Nevada Constitution states that taxation must be uniform and equal and so could not vote against her oath of office to which she swore to "uphold and defend the Constitution."
2006 run for U.S. Congress
On August 15, 2006 Angle narrowly lost the primaryPrimary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
for U.S. Congress in which was vacated by Rep. Jim Gibbons. Nevada Secretary of State
Secretary of State of Nevada
The Secretary of State of Nevada is a statewide elected office in the State of Nevada. The secretary of state post is common to many U.S. states. In Nevada, it is a constitutional office The Secretary of State of Nevada is a statewide elected office in the State of Nevada. The secretary of state...
Dean Heller
Dean Heller
Dean A. Heller is the junior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Republican Party. Heller was appointed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to a vacant seat created by the resignation of John Ensign. He was previously a member of the United States House of Representatives,...
received 24,781 votes to Angle's 24,353. Gibbons' wife Dawn
Dawn Gibbons
Dawn Gibbons is an American politician from Nevada. She is known for being the wife of Governor Jim Gibbons, although they were divorced on July 21, 2010.-Early and personal life:...
, a former State Assemblywoman herself, finished with 17,328 votes. On August 25, Angle called for a new primary election on the grounds that some poll workers showed up late for work, or didn't show up at all, in Washoe County
Washoe County, Nevada
Washoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 421,407 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County includes the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area.-History:...
, where she was the strongest. On September 1, the Carson District Judge denied her appeal for a new election.
2010 run for U.S. Senate
On April 15, 2010, she received an endorsement for the U.S. Senate race from the Tea Party ExpressTea Party Express
The Tea Party Express is a California-based group founded in the summer of 2009 to support the Tea Party movement. Founded as a national bus tour to rally Tea Party activists, the group's leadership also endorses and promotes conservative candidates running for state and federal offices...
at a rally in the nation's capital. The next day, she received an endorsement from conservative talk radio personality Mark Levin
Mark Levin
Mark Reed Levin is a lawyer, author and the host of American syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show. Levin served in the cabinet of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese...
and she was endorsed by several other conservative individuals and organizations, including the Club for Growth
Club for Growth
The Club for Growth is a politically conservative 527 organization active in the United States of America, with an agenda focussed on taxation and other economic issues, and with an affiliated political action committee . The Club advocates lower taxes, limited government, less government spending,...
, Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher
Joe the Plumber
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher , is a conservative activist, author, and commentator. A resident of Holland, Ohio, United States, he gained significant attention during the 2008 U.S. presidential election after he was videotaped questioning then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama about his small...
, singer Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
, and Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis McAlpin Stewart Schlafly is a Constitutional lawyer and an American politically conservative activist and author who founded the Eagle Forum. She is known for her opposition to modern feminism ideas and for her campaign against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment...
.
Despite this support, some prominent Republicans opposed her candidacy. Immediately after the primary, the Republican mayor of Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, Bob Cashell
Bob Cashell
Robert Alan "Bob" Cashell is an American politician. He is the current mayor of Reno, Nevada since 2002. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Nevada from 1983 to 1987, and on the University of Nevada System Board of Regents from 1979 to 1982...
, who backed Lowden in the Republican primary, endorsed Reid for the general election, calling Angle an "ultra-right winger". Other notable Republicans opposing her included Sig Rogich
Sig Rogich
Sigmund “Sig” Rogich is an Icelandic/American businessman and was a senior media consultant to leading Republican candidates for office, under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush...
, a former campaign staffer for Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and assistant to President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
; Geno Martini, the Republican mayor of Sparks
Sparks, Nevada
Sparks is a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States, located east of Reno, Nevada. The 2010 U.S. Census Bureau population count was 90,264. Sparks is often referred to as half of a twin city .-Geography and Climate:...
; Republican State Senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
and Minority Leader
Minority leader
In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...
William Raggio
William Raggio
William Raggio is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Nevada Senate. He represented Washoe County's 3rd district from 1972 until his retirement in 2011. He is the longest-serving member in the history of the State Senate.-Early life, education, and early career:Raggio was...
; Dema Guinn, the widow of the late Republican Governor of Nevada Kenny Guinn
Kenny Guinn
Kenneth Carroll "Kenny" Guinn was an American businessman, educator and politician. He was the 27th Governor of Nevada from 1999 to 2007. He was a member of the Republican Party and a former member of the Democratic Party....
; and former Lieutenant Governor Sue Wagner
Sue Wagner
Sue Ellen Wagner is an American politician. She is the former 30th Lieutenant Governor of the U.S. State of Nevada, serving from 1991 to 1995. She was also Nevada's first female lieutenant governor to be elected. She is a member of the Republican Party.-References:...
.
The Washington Post reported on May 28 that Angle was in a "statistical dead heat" with her opponent, Sue Lowden
Sue Lowden
Suzanne Parkinson "Sue" Pluskoski Lowden is the former Chairwoman of the Nevada Republican Party and a former State Senator in Nevada. Lowden is a former businesswoman, television news anchor and kindergarten teacher...
, citing a poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research
Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc.
Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. is an independent polling firm that conducts voter surveys for news media, lobbyists, advocacy groups, trade associations, and political action committees. Mason-Dixon is the nation's most active state polling organization, conducting copyrighted public opinion...
Using the same poll data, the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
speculated that Lowden would win 42 percent of the vote over Reid's 39 percent, and that Reid would win 42 percent of the vote over Angle's 39 percent with a margin of error "plus or minus 4 percentage points." On June 6, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported that according to a new Mason-Dixon poll, Angle had "shot into a clear lead in the U.S. Senate Republican Primary" and predicted that she would win the nomination with 32% of the vote and would defeat Harry Reid
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
44% to 41%.
Angle went on to win the Republican nomination. A June 9, 2010, Rasmussen Reports
Rasmussen Reports
Rasmussen Reports is an American media company that publishes and distributes information based on public opinion polling. Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and...
post-primary poll showed her leading incumbent Senator Harry Reid by a margin of 50% to 39%. A July 2010 poll showed Reid leading Angle by seven points. The change of margin, 18% in less than a month, is the largest in Senate elections history.
On October 3, Nevada's largest newspaper Las Vegas Review-Journal endorsed her bid for U.S. Senate against Reid. That same month, Nevada Tea Party candidate Scott Ashjian
Scott Ashjian
Jon Scott Ashjian , commonly known as Scott Ashjian, was the candidate of the Tea Party of Nevada in the race for United States Senate in the 2010 Nevada general election. Ashjian was born in Fresno, California; the oldest of eight children...
released a tape to the media of a recorded conversation he had with Angle where she asked him to drop out of the race. In the tape, Angle speaks candidly about her campaign and says that she cannot defeat Reid with Ashjian on the ballot.
One of Angle's campaign ads aired on television late in her campaign entitled "The Wave" was cited as racist and despicable by Sen. Robert Menendez.
On election day, Angle received the support of about 45% of voters, allowing Reid to return to the Senate.
Avoidance of the press and disputes with them
Angle was criticized during the campaign for largely avoiding answering questions from the press, both local and national. In September, the Las Vegas Review-Journal sued her for copyright infringementCopyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
after she allegedly posted entire articles from the publication on her campaign website without permission. After the campaign ended, it was revealed that the campaign developed a code word
Code word
In communication, a code word is an element of a standardized code or protocol. Each code word is assembled in accordance with the specific rules of the code and assigned a unique meaning...
to alert office workers if the media entered the campaign headquarters: "It's time to water the plants."
Scientology issue
During the primary campaign, Lowden took out a political ad criticizing Angle's alleged associations with Scientology and claiming Angle "pushed a bill favored by the Church of Scientology." Although the Las Vegas Review-Journal said that "no bill was ever introduced," the Las Vegas SunLas Vegas Sun
The Las Vegas Sun is a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper. It is one of Las Vegas, Nevada's two daily newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group....
noted that Angle's website credited her with a successful bill against psychotropic drugs in schools, a position also supported by Scientologists
Scientology and psychiatry
Scientology and psychiatry have come into conflict since the foundation of Scientology in 1952. Scientology is publicly, and often vehemently, opposed to both psychiatry and psychology. Scientologists view psychiatry as a barbaric and corrupt profession and encourage alternative care based on...
, and that she had accompanied celebrity Scientologists
Scientology and celebrities
Recruiting Scientologist celebrities and getting them to endorse Scientology to the public at large has always been very important to the Church of Scientology. Scientology has had a written program governing celebrity recruitment since at least 1955, when L. Ron Hubbard created "Project...
Jenna Elfman
Jenna Elfman
Jennifer Mary "Jenna" Elfman is an American television and film actress. She is known for her role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg and as Billie on the short-lived CBS sitcom Accidentally on Purpose....
and Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston is an American actress and former model.- Early years :Preston was born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Linda, was an administrator of a mental health center, and her father, who worked for an agricultural firm, drowned when Preston was three years old...
to promote the bill in the U.S. Senate. Angle herself promoted a similar bill in the Nevada Assembly but was not successful.
During a KVBC
KVBC
KSNV-DT, channel 3 , is the NBC-affiliated television station in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the flagship station of Intermountain West Communications Company...
-hosted debate on Face to Face with Jon Ralston, Angle was asked "about recent whispers that an Angle legislative proposal to explore a program of massages and sweat-boxes for Nevada prisons was a strange foray into Scientology", a reference to her 2003 proposal to study the program implemented in Mexico and New Mexico. Angle responded, "This program had a recidivism rate of less than 10 percent. They aren't massages. ... it was more of a karate chop. The sauna was a sweat box. When you're in there with 30 guys, it's not exactly a sauna."
Angle has repeatedly denied "the rumor that she's a Scientologist", stating that the controversy had been "largely distorted". Regarding these claims relating to Scientology, Angle told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "The way to ruin a conservative is to pass them off as part of the radical fringe. They always try to marginalize me."
Dearborn, Michigan controversy
In September 2010, Angle told a group of Tea PartyTea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
supporters that "Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
law" had taken over the cities of Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
and Frankford, Texas and that these locations represented a "militant terrorist situation." These comments were scrutinized, as Frankford, Texas was annexed by Dallas in 1975 and now consists only of a small church and cemetery. Dearborn mayor John O'Reilly criticized Angle as well, saying that "There's no sharia law in Dearborn, Mich. ... It isn't even talked about in Dearborn," that Angle's claims were dishonest, and that "Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s have been practicing their faith in our community for almost 90 years without incident or conflict. To suggest that they have taken over ignores the fact that Dearborn hosts seven mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s and 60 Christian churches."
Canadian border controversy
The CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
ambassador to the U.S. Gary Doer
Gary Doer
Gary Albert Doer, OM is a Canadian diplomat and politician from Manitoba, Canada. Since October 19, 2009, he has served as Canada's Ambassador to the United States...
has asked Angle to retract her baseless assertion that the 9/11 hijackers entered the United States through Canada. Angle claims that the U.S.-Canada border is the "most porous border we have" and "what we know is our northern border is where the terrorists came through." U.S. law enforcement determined that the hijackers entered the U.S. directly from third countries with visas issued by the U.S.
Patriot Caucus
On December 12, 2010, Angle announced the formation of a PACPolitical action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
named the Patriot Caucus to "organize a ground game across most battleground states for the 2012 election cycle". According to Politico, Angle "[dropped] it in February ahead of a decision to run for the Republican nomination for a Nevada House seat."
2012 elections
On January 26, 2011, while attending a screening of The Genesis Code in Iowa, a reporter asked Angle if she was considering a run for the White House. "I'll just say I have lots of options for the future, and I'm investigating all my options," was her reply. By February 10, she had decided against a run. On March 16, she announced that she would run for the house seat held by Dean HellerDean Heller
Dean A. Heller is the junior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Republican Party. Heller was appointed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to a vacant seat created by the resignation of John Ensign. He was previously a member of the United States House of Representatives,...
(R-NV), who will run for the Senate seat held by retiring John Ensign
John Ensign
John Eric Ensign is a former United States Senator from Nevada, serving from January 2001 until he resigned amid an investigation of an ethics violation in May 2011...
(R-NV) in 2012.
On April 21, 2011 John Ensign announced that on May 3 he would resign his Senate seat. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval
Brian Sandoval
Brian Edward Sandoval is an American politician. He is the 29th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Nevada since January 3, 2011. Sandoval is a former judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada...
appointed Dean Heller
Dean Heller
Dean A. Heller is the junior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Republican Party. Heller was appointed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to a vacant seat created by the resignation of John Ensign. He was previously a member of the United States House of Representatives,...
to the seat. Many political pundits have speculated that this may cause trouble for Angle, because under Nevada Law, a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives would either be open election, which would benefit Angle due to her Conservative grassroots voting base, or each party would hold a nominating convention, which could hurt Angle due to her tenuous ties to the Nevada Republican Party
Nevada Republican Party
The Nevada Republican Party is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Nevada. The Republican Party promotes the beliefs that individuals, not the government, make the best decisions. -History:...
following her unsuccessful 2010 Senate Election
United States Senate election in Nevada, 2010
-Tarkanian:-Angle:-Polling:Includes current candidates who have polled at least 2% in at least one poll.-Results:-Candidates:*Harry Reid , incumbent U.S...
campaign. Should Heller be appointed, a nominating convention be held, and Angle not receive the nomination, some speculate that she could mount an Independent campaign in a special election. On May 2, Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller
Ross Miller
Ross James Miller is an American politician of the Democratic Party and the current Secretary of State of Nevada. Elected at the age of 30, he was the youngest Secretary of State in the history of Nevada and the youngest Secretary of State in the country at the time of his election.-Education and...
announced that an open election would be held for the seat. On May 25, Angle announced that she would not run for the seat, calling the process a "mockery".
Education
Angle believes that the U.S. Department of EducationUnited States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
should be eliminated, citing that the local approach yields the best academic results ("[The] best education is the education that is controlled closest to the local level as possible.") Angle also holds that the Department of Education is "unconstitutional" and should not be involved in dictating educational standards from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
United Nations
Angle believes that the U.S. should withdraw from the United NationsUnited States withdrawal from the United Nations
The United States of America has been a member-state of the United Nations since its inception as a supranational entity in 1945. Since the 1990s, amidst the high unpopularity of the UN within the United States, there has been a growing movement for United States withdrawal from the United Nations....
, saying it is a bastion of liberal ideology and "the umpire on fraudulent science such as global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
."
Social policy
Angle supports the Federal Marriage AmendmentFederal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
to ban same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. She believes that households in which only one spouse works outside the home is the best way to raise a family. Angle is pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
and opposes abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, including in cases of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
or incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
. In a June 2010 radio interview, broadcast statewide in Nevada, Angle stated that she had counseled young girls in "very at risk, difficult pregnancies" to consider other alternatives, by which they had been able to make "a lemon situation into lemonade."
Separation of church and state
Angle does not believe that the United States ConstitutionUnited States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
mandates the separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
.
Health care/abortion
Angle favors the privatization of MedicareMedicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
. She voted against fluoridating
Water fluoridation
Water fluoridation is the controlled addition of fluoride to a public water supply to reduce tooth decay. Fluoridated water has fluoride at a level that is effective for preventing cavities; this can occur naturally or by adding fluoride...
drinking water.
Angle opposes abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, even in cases of rape and incest, saying that it is against God's "plan". In 1999, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that Angle had proposed a bill that "would have required doctors to inform women seeking abortions about a controversial theory linking an increased risk of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
with abortion". When she introduced the legislation again in 2001, the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote that critics responded by saying the alleged link was not supported by scientific evidence, calling the bill a "scare tactic".
During the 2010 campaign, Angle told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that, as a state legislator, she had sponsored a bill to remove the requirement that health insurers cover mammograms and colonoscopies
Colonoscopy
Colonoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the large bowel and the distal part of the small bowel with a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It may provide a visual diagnosis and grants the opportunity for biopsy or removal of suspected...
. In a debate among the Republican candidates, she repeated her support for lifting "mandates" on insurance companies. When Reid criticized this position, however, Angle accused him of making "a blatantly false claim that I tried to repeal a law that makes insurance companies cover mammograms."
Social Security
Angle has said that the Social SecuritySocial Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
system should be "transitioned out". In May 2010, the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
reported that Angle had claimed in a radio interview on KNPR that "[her] grandfather wouldn't even take his Social Security check because he said he was not up for welfare." The following month the Reid campaign reacted with a television ad stating that "Sharron Angle would end Medicare and Social Security. This is crazy." Angle has spoken favorably of the program in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, where current beneficiaries of the public retirement system were allowed to continue but all others were compelled to pay into a private system instead.
Financial reform
Angle favors a comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve, eliminating the complete Internal Revenue ServiceInternal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
code and abolishing Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
Drugs
Angle has stated that she opposes legalizing marijuana and has stated that she feels the same about alcohol. When her spokesman, Jerry Stacy, was asked to clarify Angle's statement he responded that she doesn't want to bring back ProhibitionProhibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, saying "Sharron doesn't want to make alcohol illegal," and noting that she has never introduced legislation along those lines, and even voted against taxes on alcohol. "Alcohol is a legal substance, and adults can choose to imbibe," Stacy said.
Global warming
Angle does not believe in man-made global warmingGlobal warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. "I'm a clean-air proponent," she stated. "I don't, however, buy into the whole man-caused global warming, man-caused climate change mantra of the left. I believe that there's not sound science to back that up."
Energy policy
As a long-term policy, Angle believes America must expand its own domestic energy supplies. She would legislate to repeal regulations that prohibit offshore drillingOffshore drilling
Offshore drilling refers to a mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled through the seabed. It is typically carried out in order to explore for and subsequently produce hydrocarbons which lie in rock formations beneath the seabed...
, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States. It consists of in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the country, slightly larger than the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge...
and development of American-owned petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
resources. In the Nevada State Legislature, she led efforts to reduce Nevada's high gas tax
Fuel tax
A fuel tax is an excise tax imposed on the sale of fuel. In most countries the fuel tax is imposed on fuels which are intended for transportation...
, which was the second highest in the nation. She would also have supported the three coal-fired plants in Ely
Ely, Nevada
Ely is the largest city and county seat of White Pine County, Nevada, United States. Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. Ely's mining boom came later than the other towns along US 50, with the discovery of copper in 1906...
.
After President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
secured agreement by BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
to commit $20 billion to compensate victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
, Angle denounced the arrangement, calling it a "slush fund
Slush fund
A slush fund, colloquially, is an auxiliary monetary account or a reserve fund. However, in the context of corrupt dealings, such as those by governments or large corporations, a slush fund can have particular connotations of illegality, illegitimacy, or secrecy in regard to the use of this money...
". When she was criticized for her comment, however, she retracted the term "slush fund" and said that BP should pay for the consequences of the spill.
Second Amendment
Sharron Angle has used the Second AmendmentSecond Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...
, the right to keep and bear arms, in her rhetoric on several occasions. Angle has said, "What is a little bit disconcerting and concerning is the inability for sporting goods stores to keep ammunition in stock ... That tells me the nation is arming. What are they arming for if it isn't that they are so distrustful of their government? They're afraid they'll have to fight for their liberty in more Second Amendment kinds of ways?" and "That's why I look at this as almost an imperative. If we don't win at the ballot box, what will be the next step?" On Bill Manders' radio show, she stated that the Second Amendment is "to defend ourselves. And you know, I'm hoping that we're not getting to Second Amendment remedies. I hope the vote will be the cure for the Harry Reid problems." On Lars Larson
Lars Larson
Lars Larson is a conservative U.S. talk radio show host based in Oregon. Larson hosts a national talk radio show, which as of 2009 is syndicated by Compass Media Networks...
's radio show, she stated "You know, our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government. In fact Thomas Jefferson said it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years. I hope that's not where we're going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying, 'My goodness, what can we do to turn this country around?' I'll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out."
Asked to comment on the latter, her spokesman Jerry Stacy said via email: "Sharron Angle does not advocate a revolution. Her goal is to go to Washington with other like-minded elected officials who understand the proper role of the federal government as already defined by our Constitution."
Congressman Jim Clyburn
Jim Clyburn
James Enos "Jim" Clyburn is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993, and the Assistant Democratic Leader since 2011. He was previously House Majority Whip, serving in that post from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
said in January 2011 that "Sharron Angle's endorsement of 'Second Amendment remedies' in her losing Nevada campaign against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid contributed to the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Dee "Gabby" Giffords is an American politician. A Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, she has represented since 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress...
." Columnist E.J. Dionne did not blame Angle, but he did point out the connection between her call for "Second Amendment remedies" and the 2011 Tucson shooting
2011 Tucson shooting
On January 8, 2011, a mass shooting occurred near Tucson, Arizona. Nineteen people were shot, six of them fatally, with one other person injured at the scene during an open meeting that U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was holding with members of her constituency in a Casas Adobes Safeway...
. CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, in a "nationwide telephone poll" of 673 adults, with a margin of error of 4%, found that "57 percent of respondents said the harsh political tone had nothing to do with the shooting, compared to 32 percent who felt it did."
External links
- Sharron E. Angle official Nevada Legislature website
- Sharron Angle for U.S. Senate official campaign website
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...