Jill Derby to Run for State Party Chair

Jill Derby today announced her intention to run for state party chair, a position to be vacated by Tom Collins. The official press release:

Jill Derby, former Regent and 2006 Democratic nominee for Congress in Nevada’s Second Congressional District said today that she plans to run for Chair of the Nevada State Democratic Party when elections are held in March.

“In my congressional campaign, I laid out a new vision for what a Nevada Democrat and Democrats from the West stand for. That’s the kind of vision and leadership I plan to bring to the Party,” Derby said.

As was evidenced by the past week of candidate events and national media attention, Nevada will play a central role in the selection of the Democratic candidate in 2008. Nevada’s caucus will be the second in the nation, falling between key events in Iowa and New Hampshire.

“I believe I can make a valuable contribution to the Party’s growth during this critical time by leading the effort to make our caucus a success and by highlighting the issues important to Nevada and the West,” Derby said.

Derby’s experience as a Regent and congressional candidate makes her uniquely qualified to represent the entire state during this historic time.

“I can help bring Nevada and the State Democratic Party together in new ways,” Derby said. “As a Regent, I worked to advance each and every campus in our system of higher education around the state. As a candidate, I campaigned in every single county. I know the rural, suburban, and urban issues we’re facing, and intend to be a Chair that represents all our communities.”

Wow! This is awesome news. When I heard that Tom Collins announced his intention not to run again, I didn't expect any good candidates to come forward. This is an awesome candidate. With Jill Derby as state party chair we might actually be able to turn both Tahoe and Nevada blue.

Update:

I just wanted to make clear that Tom Collins decision to resign came just before the Fox debate issue exploded all over the blogosphere and before his post on Daily Kos last Friday (more here). The Las Vegas Gleaner reported on this last Thursday (Feb.22). Here's the press release, courtesy of the Gleaner:

Nevada Democratic Chairman Tom Collins has decided not to run for reelection to his post as state chairman when the Democratic Central Committee elects new state officers at a meeting March 31 in Reno.

Collins, who was elected to a one-year term as party chairman last April, will remain the chairman of the Nevada Caucus Commission, helping to raise money, coordinate and promote the Nevada Presidential Caucus, to be held Jan. 19, 2008.

During his term, Collins oversaw the coordinated campaign that helped to elect four Democrats to statewide office, plus an additional Democrat in both the state Senate and Assembly. Democrats also picked up another seat on the Clark County Commission.

Collins was one of the first advocates to lobby Democrats nationally to put an early presidential caucus in Nevada. Collins has argued the West is the new frontier for Democrats, and by focusing on Western states, Democrats can win the White House.

“The Nevada Caucus is a huge undertaking, and stepping down as state chairman will give me more time to focus on my duties as one of the chairs of the Nevada Caucus Commission,” Collins said. “I believe that Democrats must win in the West in order to win the White House, and I want to spend as much of my time as possible promoting the caucus and ensuring it is a success. I look forward to working with a new state chair who can bring the resources to the table to continue to build the Nevada Democratic Party and turn Nevada ‘blue.’”

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For more news and action surrounding the Nevada Caucus go to Nevada Caucus 2008.