Nevada Senate candidate can't 'Occupy' the ballot

By Ashley Powers

March 14, 2012 12 AM PT

Reporting from Las Vegas   — It’s the fault of “God Almighty.”

That’s the name Emil Tolotti Jr. used in 1992 to challenge U.S. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada in the Democratic primary. He not only lost to “none of these candidates” -- another Nevada ballot option -- but he also inspired a law banning would-be officeholders from using politically charged nicknames.

That hasn’t stopped candidates from trying to sneak them onto the ballot, however. This year, Secretary of State Ross Miller stripped two candidates of their electoral monikers, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Nancy Price, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, can’t appear on the ballot as Nancy “Occupy” Price, a nod to the Occupy Wall Street movement. And Ed Hamilton, a Republican Senate hopeful, can’t use the nickname “WarNoMo.”

The name was Hamilton’s second choice this election cycle. Miller also vetoed his attempt to run as “TheRonPawl.” Hamilton is now considering a third option.

“I was going to pick ‘Revolution,’ but that would be disqualified, right?” Hamilton told the Review-Journal. “Maybe ‘Dove’ for peace as opposed to ‘Hawk.’ ”

Hamilton has some experience with ballot monikers. He previously ran for Senate as “Mr. Clean” -- presumably a reference to eschewing corruption and not to selling cleaning products.

“They’ve had all kinds of nicknames before. In Laughlin, there was a constable whose nickname was ‘Batman,’ ” Hamilton told the paper.

That’s true, though Dave “Batman” Thompson did lose his 2010 race.

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