Leadership Problems: 10

The extramarital affair recently acknowledged by Republican Sen. John Ensign hardly compares to the tabloid richness of GOP Gov. Jim Gibbons' one term. Even state Republicans acknowledge that Gibbons has been an unmitigated disaster -- and it actually began before he won office in 2006, with allegations that he had touched a woman inappropriately outside a restaurant. He was also dogged by questions about his dealings with a defense contractor when he was a U.S. House member.

Gibbons later underwent a nasty divorce, which prompted the news that the governor had used a state phone to send more than 800 texts in six weeks to a married woman who was not his wife.

"Gibbons is perhaps the worst governor in Nevada history and a national joke," Nevada political analyst Jon Ralston wrote in a recent Las Vegas Sun column that half-jokingly compares Sanford favorably to Gibbons. The Nevada governor, Ralston added, "also has made all manner of ludicrous appointments, some of which were rescinded, and has not forged any relationships with legislators, creating a vacuum in the executive branch that has impeded policy on various levels."

Criminality: 7

Despite enduring a variety of investigations, it seems as though Gibbons will be able to exit office (most likely sooner rather than later) without any criminal wrongdoing hanging over his head. But others may not be so lucky.

Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki (R) has been charged with two felony counts of misappropriation and falsification of accounts by a public officer and two felony counts of misappropriation by a treasurer, stemming from a 2007 audit of a college savings program run by the state treasurer's office during his tenure there, according to news reports. Prosecutors allege that Krolicki ignored budget limits and overspent on an advertising campaign.

Some Nevada sources suggest that the charges won't stick, however, and if so, some speculate that Attorney General Catherine Cortez-Masto (D) could in turn face charges of prosecutorial misconduct.

As if this wasn't enough, there's also the prospect of Oscar Goodman, a former mob lawyer turned Las Vegas mayor, running to succeed Gibbons. Though a 2010 gubernatorial bid as a Democrat has been long rumored, Goodman recently told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he's weighing an independent bid as a "total maverick."

Statewide Challenges: 7

As might be expected for a state dependent on tourism and suffering from a collapsing housing market, the recession has hit Nevada hard. Unemployment in June was 11.3 percent, sixth-highest in the nation. For the first time in 35 years, the proposed operating budget in Nevada has shrunk, and the governor and legislators have been sparring over how to close a multibillion-dollar budget gap.

Media Circus: 7

Gibbons' travails have attracted wide media attention statewide, but Las Vegas isn't a major media hub, so few Americans outside the region have heard of him. The revelations about Ensign's affair, which got more media traction nationally, did nothing to put the state's politicians in a better light.

TOTAL DYSFUNCTIONALITY: 7.75