Nicknames get spots on state ballot
CARSON CITY — When it comes to Nevada politics, not even “God Almighty” proved powerful enough to knock off Harry Reid.
In fact, Mr. Almighty — real name Emil Tolotti — was not even able to beat out “None of the above” in the 1992 U.S. Senate race in the Silver State, a race in which Reid went on to win for his first re-election to the upper chamber of Congress.
Despite God Almighty’s poor showing in 1992, candidates across the state still relish the state law that allows them to have nicknames on the ballot. And from “Fatjack” to “Tick,” 2018 is no exception.
Some nicknames you will see this year are common, including Patricia “Pat” Spearman, a Democratic state senator running for Congress in Nevada’s 4th District, or lesser-known Republican candidate for governor William “Bill” Boyd.
Others are less than traditional, such as Jack “Fatjack” Cochran, the Searchlight constable running for re-election. And you won’t see the likes of God Almighty on the ballot anytime soon. The law changed in 2003 to ensure that nicknames cannot replace a candidate’s real name on the ballot.
The race for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District is especially chock full of unique monikers, including Republicans Eddie “Mistermago” Hamilton and Stephanie ‘Bdybysteph” Jones, as well as Democrat Steven Mitchell “The Mench” Schiffman.
Hamilton, a perennial candidate avid supporter of President Donald Trump, believes that nicknames are a way for candidates with low fundraising sums to get their message out there — even if it’s just at the ballot box.
NICKNAMES
CIt would be the last time Navin, then 17, and David Leroy Bell would see each other. Bell was killed by a land mine on Valentine’s Day in 1969 in South Vietnam, just weeks before the couple were set to marry. He was 20.
On Monday afternoon, nearly 50 years since she last saw her first love, Navin sat among at least 300 people gathered at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City to honor and remember those who died serving in the U.S. armed forces. The annual ceremony is hosted by the Nevada Department of Veterans Services.
Navin, who now lives in Las Vegas, sat next to a large framed photograph of her and Bell taken from that September morning in Honolulu, where the two met. A Navy brat, Navin had moved to Hawaii when she was 14 and had been living there for two weeks when she met Bell.
“All these years, David has not been forgotten. I do everything I can so others are not forgotten either,” Navin said Monday, which marked the 150th Memorial Day.
Also in attendance Monday were Attorney General Adam Laxalt,
U.S. Reps. Jacky Rosen and Ruben Kihuen, and U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Dean Heller.
Gov. Brian Sandoval attended a
MEMORIAL DAY
“That is a dog whistle,” Hamilton said of his nickname this year.
“Mistermago” was supposed to be “Mistermaga,” which Hamilton said was a way to let Trump supporters know that he was “reporting for duty, fighting for President Trump.”
But the Nevada secretary of state’s office said that including the acronym for Trump’s recognizable campaign rallying cry — MAGA, or Make America Great Again — constituted a political statement, which is not allowed.
So Hamilton, who has used nicknames like “In Liberty,” “Swamper” and “The Frugal,” in previous unsuccessful bids for various offices, changed the ‘a’ to an ‘o’ with the hopes that it is still close enough for people to see his support for Trump.
A ‘Tick’ for luck
But not everyone uses the nicknames to deliver a message. Others simply use them because it’s become part of their identity.
Take Richard Segerblom, a Democratic state Senator from Las Vegas who is running for Clark County Commission this year. Or as most know him: “Tick.”
‘It’s actually very beneficial,” Segerblom said of his nickname.
And to Segerblom, it’s lucky. In 2004, Segerblom ran for Clark
County School Board sans the nickname, appearing simply as Richard Segerblom. He lost.
Since then, he’s appeared on the ballot as “Tick” in five elections for the state Assembly and Senate. And he’s won them all.
As to when he got nicknamed after an arachnid that feeds off of animal blood, Segerblom said it started before he can even remember.
When he was growing up in Boulder City, his sister called him “Hickie,” because he seemed to constantly be hiccuping. Eventually the “H” was dropped in favor of a “T,” Segerblom said.
“Growing up in Boulder City, I was Tickie and I never got away from it,” he said.
As an adult, Tickie became Tick. And much like the small arthropod he shares a name with, it stuck.
“I was always embarrassed of it.
It’s an insect and not a pleasant one. But people like it. It’s disarming.” “People just call me Tick.”
Except when he goes back to Boulder City. To many in the small town southeast of Las Vegas, he’s still Tickie.
Contact Capital Bureau reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@ reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow @Coltonlochhead on Twitter.