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Sue Lowden

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Sue Lowden
File:Sue Lowden.jpg
Member of the Nevada Senate
from the Clark 3 district
In office
1993–1997
Preceded byJack Vergiels
Succeeded byValerie Wiener[1]
Personal details
BornNew Jersey
Political partyRepublican
SpousePaul Lowden
Children3 sons
1 daughter
Residence(s)Las Vegas, Nevada
Alma materAmerican University, Fairleigh Dickinson University
ProfessionElementary School Teacher, News Reporter
WebsiteOfficial site

Suzanne Plummer "Sue" Lowden is a former Chairwoman of the Nevada Republican Party and a former Nevada state senator, representing the Democratic-leaning Clark County District 3 (map). She is currently a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2010 Nevada US Senate Election. Her main opponents in the Republican primary are businessman Danny Tarkanian and former State Assemblywoman Sharron Angle. Lowden, who consistently leads incumbent U.S. Senator Harry Reid by double digits in polling, is the only candidate who now leads Reid in a full ballot test according to the most recent independent survey released in April 2010.[2] Lowden also leads her closest primary opponent by 18 points in the latest two surveys conducted as of April, 2010.[3]

Personal life, education and early career

Lowden was born and raised in New Jersey, but later moved to Nevada and has lived there for over 30 years. As a teenager in 1973, she was Miss New Jersey and was 2nd runner-up for Miss America.

She earned a BA degree from American University, an MA degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and Honorary AA degree from the College of Southern Nevada.

Lowden and her husband, Nevada businessman Paul Lowden, reside in Las Vegas. They have three sons and one daughter, as well as one granddaughter.

Prior to her political service, Lowden had a diverse professional career. Starting out as an elementary school teacher in New Jersay, Lowden moved to Las Vegas and landed a job with KLAS-TV, the local CBS affiliate for southern Nevada. She earned numerous awards for her work as a reporter and anchorwoman, such as the Associated Press and United Press International Award for Best Newscast. She became a member of the KLAS Channel 8 Hall of Fame.

Lowden was President of Santa Fe Hotel and Casino and a former Executive Vice President of Sahara Hotel and Casino. Having a Nevada gaming license, she currently serves as a Member of the Board of Directors and Secretary-Treasurer of Archon Corporation, a gaming and investment company. For her work, Lowden received a Women of Achievement Award from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. According to statements filed with the Senate Office of Public Records, she and her husband have more than $50 million in stock holdings, much of it in Las Vegas gaming companies.[4]

State Senate career

In 1992, Lowden ran for the Nevada State Senate in her heavily Democratic-controlled district. She won that campaign by defeating Jack Vergiels, who then served as the Nevada Senate Majority Leader.

In the Nevada Legislature, Lowden served as the Senate Majority Whip and the Chairman of the Senate Taxation Committee. Her work in office earned her the Guardian of Small Business Award from the Nevada chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Senator of the Year Award from the Clark County Republican Party, the Woman of the Year Award from the Republican Women of Las Vegas, and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 from the Republican Women of Henderson.

The Culinary Workers Union, which represents hotel workers and has been described as the most powerful labor force in Las Vegas, criticized her for her votes to reform the State Industrial Insurance System and because they said her casino fought efforts by workers to organize there. She said the union harassed her by picketing her home and threatened her to the point where she had to transfer her children to another school.[5]

In 1996, she lost a re-election bid to Valerie Wiener, the current senator representing that district. Following the election, she was elected Chairwoman of the Nevada Republican Party.[6]

2010 run for U.S. Senate

Main article: United States Senate election in Nevada, 2010

Lowden is running against U.S. Senator Harry Reid, who is currently the Senate Majority Leader. In general election polling, she holds the largest lead against Reid and consistently leads him in every poll conducted as of April 2010.[7] In primary election polling, Lowden holds an even greater lead, leading her closest primary opponent by 18 points in the last two independent surveys that were conducted as of April 2010.[8]

Political positions

Her stated views on some key issues include:[9]

Economy

Health care

  • De-fund and revoke provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
  • Implement tort reform
  • Allow employers to purchase plans in other states
  • Allow small businesses to better pool their resources when purchasing health insurance
  • Create better options for Nevadans to purchase health care outside their businesses

Social issues

Discussion of Harry Reid assassination attempt

On Heidi Harris's talk radio show in October, 2009,[10] a 1981 incident was mentioned to Lowden during the interview. There had been an attempt on Harry Reid's life; the police report of the incident said an electrical device found in the Reid family car was linked to the fuel tank in an apparent attempt to ignite the fuel.[11] At the time, Reid was chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission and Lowden was a news reporter. When asked, Lowden said she didn’t recall the 1981 bomb scare story and questioned if it was true. She later denied reports that she had laughed about the question.[12]

Using barter to pay for health care

At a candidate forum in Mesquite, Nevada, on April 6, 2010, Lowden criticized the recently-passed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and described her preferred system for financing medical care. While discussing her preference of consumer-focused reforms and her support of Health savings accounts paired with a High-deductible health plan, Lowden suggested that patients could pay cash and barter with their doctors for payment in order to reduce costs.[13]

On April 16, Lowden restated her assertion that barter would be a viable way to finance health care. Speaking on the TV program Nevada Newsmakers, she stated that "...in the olden days, our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor, they would say I’ll paint your house, they would do... that’s the old days of what people would do to get health care with their doctors. Doctors are very sympathetic people. I’m not backing down from that system."[14]

Lowden's comments became the subject of widespread jokes and criticism.[15][16] However, on April 22, The Wall Street Journal pointed out that in 2009, the American Medical Association's newspaper had referred to barter as a "creative way to collect from patients during difficult economic times", and that Kaiser Health News had said health care was becoming the "service in most demand" according to people running local barter exchanges.[16]

References

  1. ^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LVRB&p_theme=lvrb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FD38E1D42044EB1&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
  2. ^ http://www.lvrj.com/news/poll--reid-loses-full-ballot-test-91015514.html
  3. ^ http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/nv/nevada_senate_republican_primary-1101.html#polls
  4. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34483297/ns/politics/
  5. ^ http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/1996/oct/29/taxes-the-hot-topic-of-state-senate-races/
  6. ^ http://www.suelowden.com/index.php/about-sue/
  7. ^ http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/nv/nevada_senate_lowden_vs_reid-1100.html#polls
  8. ^ http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/nv/nevada_senate_republican_primary-1101.html#polls
  9. ^ http://www.suelowden.com/index.php/nevada-concerns/
  10. ^ http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/oct/28/reid-lowden-spar-over-car-bomb-story-gibbons-joins/
  11. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/28/state/n144031D69.DTL&type=politics
  12. ^ http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/11/09/reid-challenger-feels-backlash-after-questioning-assassination-a/
  13. ^ http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/04/nv-sen-candidate-sue-lowden-r-barter-with-your-doctor.php
  14. ^ http://www.dailykos.com/tv/w/002666/index.html
  15. ^ Montopoli, Brian (April 22, 2010), "Sue Lowden Stands by Chicken Health Care Barter Plan", CBS News, retrieved April 22, 2010
  16. ^ a b Hobson, Katherine (April 22, 2010), "Lowden's Medical Barter Idea: Not So Nuts After All?", The Wall Street Journal, retrieved April 22, 2010
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