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SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utah lawmaker Carl Wimmer told KSL's Doug Wright Tuesday morning he had accepted the job of political director for Nevada's Republican Party. Tuesday afternoon, KSL News learned Wimmer hasn't even been offered the job.
Wimmer announced Monday that he has accepted the position in Nevada, and then spoke about it live Tuesday morning on KSL's The Doug Wright Show. But Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the party hasn't hired a new political director.
"He's not coming on as political director," McDonald said in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I have never spoken to him. I'm sure he's a great guy, but I never committed to hiring him. And I think we have several people in Nevada capable of doing the job."
There appears to be a conflict between McDonald and the Nevada party's executive director, Jesse Law, who confirmed Wimmer's selection in media interviews Monday.
Law told the Deseret News, "Carl is tremendous when it comes to uniting folks. Most importantly, in my opinion, he's a very skilled fundraiser.
Attempts to reach Wimmer, Law and McDonald Tuesday were not successful.
Cindie Quintana, a spokeswoman for Wimmer, responded to the controversy Tuesday night and said people should not jump to conclusions.
"My hope is that people won't make assumptions without fact," Quintana said. "Carl is a man of his word and would not announce he had a job unless he indeed believed he had the job."
McDonald spoke with Las Vegas Review-Journal Political Reporter Laura Meyers.
"It sounded to me like he is not (a candidate for the job) ...," Meyers said of Wimmer. "It sounds like maybe this premature announcement may have taken him off the candidate list, if he was on it. I think he was on it."
Contributing: Paul Nelson
Email: jfinley@desnews.com
