Gibbons fundraising: If the real number is a wowzer, why not say it?

Robert Olmer, campaign manager for Gov. Jim Gibbons, wanted to clarify that a couple of people who attended the $250 a person fundraiser on Oct. 1 donated $10,000 and others wrote checks in the thousands. 

But even so, that doesn’t sound real impressive. And if the real number is a wowzer, why not say it? The money must be reported publicly in January. 

But Olmer still declined to say how much was raised saying he’s not authorized to give out that information.

At $250 a head, it would have been $11,500 if all 46 people who attended brought checks. Even adding “a couple” of $10,000 donations and “others” in the “thousands,” it looks like the reception at Incline Village might have had a hard time reaching $50,000.

In January 2006, in his race for governor, Gibbons’ reported $2 million cash on hand running against then state Sen. Dina Titus and more poured in throughout the election year.

Somehow I doubt he’ll reach that mark by January. But if he proves me wrong, I’ll certainly ’fess up. I always do.

Maybe the one-on-one calls made by Gibbons are more successful than I imagine.

Maybe that’s why he didn’t have time to return Brian Sandoval’s courtesy call informing the governor Sandoval was entering the GOP primary. Read about that and more in my Thursday column.