Early Signs and the Blunder From Under

Someone knows how to use a tape gun. Guess this market doesn’t need people to know they carry Pepsi.

Apparently, December 14, 2025 is now campaign season in Reno — at least according to four-time mayoral candidate Eddie Lorton, whose campaign signs began popping up months before candidates are even allowed to file for office.

Washoe County’s sign code is not ambiguous. “Election period signs” are permitted from the first day a candidate files for office through ten days after the general election. December of the year before filing doesn’t qualify. That’s not momentum — that’s jumping the gun with a tape gun.

But maybe timelines aren’t the only thing the campaign struggles with.

After the recent Washoe Freedom Coalition PAC event at Club Underground, attendees confidently claimed 80 to 100 people were in the room. The problem? The photos posted by the band itself tell a different story — one where even creative math comes up short.

Pictures don’t exaggerate. Spin does.

Friday evening - December 12, 2025 at Club Underground on 4th Street - band social media post. We sure don’t see 80-100 people.

What makes the thin turnout especially noteworthy is who was involved:

• Eddie Lorton

• The Nevada Republican Party

• Paul Jackson’s group, once famous for packing First Friday - we mean you couldn't get a seat people got there early to make sure they could participate.

• The PAC Washoe Freedom Coalition

That’s a lot of political infrastructure for a room that looked… underwhelming. When all that firepower can’t fill a small venue, it raises an uncomfortable question: where is the base?

And thus, “The Blunder From Under” …

Inside Republican circles, the event is already being referred to as “the blunder from under.” Not because of the venue — but because it highlighted a growing problem: visibility without vitality.

Early signs don’t equal early support. Inflated headcounts don’t create enthusiasm. And declaring momentum doesn’t make it real.

There’s still time before filing opens to slow down, follow the rules, and build something organic instead of ornamental. Until then, December campaign signs and questionable crowd math won’t be remembered as a launch — they’ll be remembered as a warning.

In politics, how you start matters.
And right now, this one started underwhelmingly — and undercounted.

Legal Sidebar: Washoe County Campaign Sign Rules

Under Washoe County Code (Chapter 110, Article 505), “election period signs” are only permitted from the first day a candidate files for office through ten (10) days after the general election.
• No permit is required during that period
• Signs must be on private property (with owner permission)
• Public rights-of-way are always prohibited — signs placed there can be removed by code enforcement
• Size and placement limits still apply

Translation: December signs, before filing opens, don’t qualify as election-period signs.