Gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid has a new television ad out saying big banking and special interests have wrecked Nevada, and now have recruited Brian Sandoval so they can continue to do the same. He says to Nevadans, “I’ll be your governor, not theirs.” The ad:

Sounds good, but for one thing: Rory Reid has himself been a lobbyist for special interests through his powerhouse law firm in Las Vegas. He is proud of it, too, according to a remark he made to the Las Vegas Review Journal in February of 2001:

I don’t think (being a lobbyist) presents a problem. I believe in the clients I represent. I will do what I can to help the party, and I believe in the issues I am lobbying on. Lobbyists are part of the process.

Reid’s past clients include PG&E National Energy Group, the electricity generating division of Pacific Gas & Electric, and Placer Dome America, a large mining operation. His law firm’s list of clients includes banking and financial institutions, insurance companies and public utilities. Their client web page boasts:

Lionel Sawyer & Collins’ client list consists of the most prestigious and largest of Nevada companies and industries as well as major national and multinational companies with business interests or holdings in Nevada.

The Reid ad is essentially an attack on those who recruited Sandoval to leave the federal bench in order to run for governor. Among these are Pete Ernaut, president of Government and Public Affairs at R&R Partners, who is neck-deep in lobbying and government-affairs operations both in Nevada and nationally, and Greg Ferraro, who is in the same line of work and has ties to the Nevada Resort Association, ING, and JPMorgan Chase, among others.

However, Reid’s own affiliations with big business and big government makes this slam on Sandoval a tough sell.