CARSON CITY, Nev. –– The second-place finisher in Nevada's Democratic gubernatorial primary spent no money, ignored opponents and didn't shake a single hand during the campaign.
Nevada's unique "none of these candidates" option defeated everyone Tuesday except state Sen. Joe Neal, who will face Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn in the November election.
Neal won with 36 percent of the votes cast, followed by "none" with 21,311 votes, or 24 percent. Former topless dancer Barbara Scott ran third with 21 percent.
"It's just an embarrassing thing for candidates," Neal said Wednesday. "Like for me, when you're trying to make a difference, and you have to look back and see if 'none' is going to beat you."
No other state has such a voting option in statewide races, and periodic attempts to get rid of it have failed.
The 1975 Legislature approved the "none" option as a way for voters to express dissatisfaction with candidates in statewide races. "None" can't actually win a race, but it did come in first in congressional primaries in 1976 and 1978.
It also finished ahead of both George H. Bush and Edward Kennedy in Nevada's 1980 presidential primaries. "None" has never finished first in a general election.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Meyer didn't mind losing by a nearly 2-1 margin to "none" Tuesday.
"I've voted for 'none of the above' in the past and it's OK with me," he said. "I would rather lose to 'none of the above' with principle than win the governor's race without principle."
"None" also fared well in the Republican governor's primary, beating all but Guinn and Shirley Cook in a seven-way race. "None" got 7,003 votes, or 6 percent.
"People can do anything they want, but why bother to vote if somebody is not going to vote for an actual person?" asked Bill Hiett, one of the GOP hopefuls.
Neal once thought that "none" was a good idea to get more voters to the polls, but he's changed his mind.
"When you're out there campaigning and fighting 'none of the above,' which is a close second, it's an uncomfortable situation," he said, laughing. "So I think I've had a change of heart."
Nevada's unique "none of these candidates" option defeated everyone Tuesday except state Sen. Joe Neal, who will face Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn in the November election.
Neal won with 36 percent of the votes cast, followed by "none" with 21,311 votes, or 24 percent. Former topless dancer Barbara Scott ran third with 21 percent.
"It's just an embarrassing thing for candidates," Neal said Wednesday. "Like for me, when you're trying to make a difference, and you have to look back and see if 'none' is going to beat you."
No other state has such a voting option in statewide races, and periodic attempts to get rid of it have failed.
The 1975 Legislature approved the "none" option as a way for voters to express dissatisfaction with candidates in statewide races. "None" can't actually win a race, but it did come in first in congressional primaries in 1976 and 1978.
It also finished ahead of both George H. Bush and Edward Kennedy in Nevada's 1980 presidential primaries. "None" has never finished first in a general election.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Meyer didn't mind losing by a nearly 2-1 margin to "none" Tuesday.
"I've voted for 'none of the above' in the past and it's OK with me," he said. "I would rather lose to 'none of the above' with principle than win the governor's race without principle."
"None" also fared well in the Republican governor's primary, beating all but Guinn and Shirley Cook in a seven-way race. "None" got 7,003 votes, or 6 percent.
"People can do anything they want, but why bother to vote if somebody is not going to vote for an actual person?" asked Bill Hiett, one of the GOP hopefuls.
Neal once thought that "none" was a good idea to get more voters to the polls, but he's changed his mind.
"When you're out there campaigning and fighting 'none of the above,' which is a close second, it's an uncomfortable situation," he said, laughing. "So I think I've had a change of heart."