State school board candidate Cook endorsed by governor, or is he?

What seemed to be an endorsement from the governor turned out to be an endorsement from the governor - sort of.

Dave Cook, incumbent candidate for the state school board, received a written, but not signed, statement from the governor's office which read, "I encourage you to support Dave Cook in his re-election."

Sound like an endorsement?

Cook thinks so. The governor's office says it's not - sort of.

"We are articulating our feelings about any candidates that come before us," said Jack Finn, Guinn's press secretary. "We are not calling them endorsements. If Mr. Cook wants to call it an endorsement, that's fine."

The clarification did not clear things up for Cook's opponent, Barbara Myers.

"It's about as clear as mud," she said. "I don't think it really means anything."

But Cook is holding strong.

"It's a real, honest-to-goodness endorsement. The document stands on its own," Cook said. "This is something the governor said he would do for me and he did. I'm very appreciative."

Myers contacted Chief of Staff Scott Scherer to confirm the endorsement after Cook announced it in a debate last week .

In a taped message on her answering machine, Scherer said the governor authorized Cook to use a picture of the two of them in the campaign and that Cook could repeat the "nice things" the governor had said about him.

"He agreed that those things could be used," Scherer said in the message. "He didn't necessarily view that as an endorsement."

Myers said she looked into the endorsement after various people told her it was an unusual move for Guinn to issue an endorsement.

"I had no reason to think he wasn't telling the truth," she said. "A few people had just raised a few questions. Is he endorsed or isn't he endorsed?"

Finn said Guinn prefers to deal with people "person-to-person and not label his statements.

"The governor is not choosing one candidate over another. Hypothetically, both candidates could have complimentary statements from the governor."

Myers said she is composing a letter to Guinn in hopes of receiving clarification.

While the race for State Board of Education is non-partisan, all three - Cook, Myers and Guinn - are Republicans.

In the meantime, Cook did receive an endorsement from the Nevada State Education Association - for sure.

"We decided to endorse Dave based on the relationship we've had with him for the last four years," said Debbie Cahill, association director of government relations. "All in all, he was the best candidate."