The Future of Nevada Democrats is Female

Women are clearly on the rise in Nevada politics. Especially so on the Democratic side. Consider the following: in the 2006 elections Democrats nominated women in all three congressional districts, four out of six candidates for statewide office were women, including Governor.

While Jill Derby (NV-02) and Tessa Hafen (NV-03) didn't win their respective races, they did come pretty close and it's quite possible that Dean Heller and Jon Porter will have to run against female candidates again in 2008.

Women have captured high offices in Nevada in the past, though they were mostly Republican: former Congresswoman Barbara Vucanovich (NV-02, 1983-97), former Treasurer Patty Cafferata (1983-87), former Lt. Governors Sue Wagner (1991-95) and Lorraine Hunt (1999-2007), Secretary of State Cheryl Lau (1991-95). The only Democratic women previously elected to statewide office were Superintendent of Public Instruction Mildred Bray (1937-51) and Frankie Sue Del Papa who was Secretary of State (1987-91) and Attorney General (1991-2003). There has not been a female US Senator yet, the only Democratic nominee was Mary Gojack in 1990.

Recently female Democrats were much more successful in being nominated and elected than their Republican counterparts. Currently, three out of four Democratic (six total) constitutional officers in Nevada are women: Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, State Treasurer Kate Marshall, and State Controller Kim Wallin. Las Vegas is represented in Congress by Shelley Berkley. The Nevada State Democratic Party has recently elected a woman, Jill Derby, as its chair. Among the five-person leadership are three more women: 2nd Vice Chair Teresa Benitez-Thompson, Secretary A'shanti Gholar, and Treasurer Jan Churchill.

In the State Assembly, Barbara Buckley was recently elected Speaker, the first woman in that position in Nevada's history. Majority Whip Sheila Leslie and Assistant Majority Whip Debbie Smith are among the five person Majority Leadership in the Assembly, while the Democratic leadership team in the State Senate is entirely comprised of women: Minority Floor Leader Dina Titus, Minority Whip Valerie Wiener, and Assistant Minority Floor Leader Bernice Mathews. As far as I could find out, no other legislatative body in the country has an entirely female leadership, at least on the Democratic side.

10 out 27 Democratic Assembly members are women (37%) and 5 out of 10 Democratic State Senators are women, making up 50%.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that in a recent poll at Helluva Heller, asking who should run against Heller on the Democratic side, out of the seven mentioned possibilities five were women: Kate Marshall, Debbie Smith, Jill Derby, Sheila Leslie, and Teresa Benitez Thompson and the female candidates were in the lead at last count.

When you consider all this, it is only a matter of time when Nevada will send another woman to the House, the first woman to the US Senate and elect its first Governor.

You can read more about the history of women in Nevada politics here.

Here are the women mentioned:

State Constitutional Officers:


Catherine Cortez Masto, Kate Marshall, and Kim Wallin

Elected Officers of the Nevada State Democratic Party:


Jill Derby, A'shanti Gholar, and Teresa Benitez Thompson

Member of Congress:


Shelley Berkley

Members of the State Assembly Leadership:


Barbara Buckley, Sheila Leslie, and Debbie Smith

Members of the State Senate Leadership:


Dina Titus, Valerie Wiener, and Bernice Mathews

Gibbons, Nixon - Is There a Difference?

Is Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons now channeling Richard Milhous Nixon?

Is Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons in the same league with those who believe Elvis was abducted by Aliens?

Is Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons America's nutty Governor?

The answer to all of the above is probably yes. Here's why:

Is there really a conspiracy between Democrats and the Wall Street Journal? are Democrats in fact paying the WSJ to get Gibbons?

Jim Gibbons seems to believe so. Asked by the Reno Gazette-Journal's Ray Hagar whether he heard conspiracy rumors Gibbons replies:

“I have heard that the Democrats have paid to have these Wall Street Journal articles written,” Gibbons said. The Journal has reported that Gibbons is under investigation by the FBI for allegedly accepting unreported gifts or payments from a Reno company that was awarded secret military contracts when Gibbons was in the U.S. House.

[...]

“When I met this guy, (Wilke), he was brought to Elko by the Dina Titus campaign and that is where I met him. So I don’t know what his agenda is, but there is nothing there with any of these allegations.”

[...]

Gibbons said the ties between the Democrats and the Wall Street Journal are about politics.

“What this is about, I believe, is that this is about the 2008 election,” Gibbons said. “And it has very little to do with me. It is just that they want to deal with what their interests are in 2008.”

Yup, Gibbons seems to believe the "rumors." And one has to wonder where these rumors are coming from. Here's Gibbons' spokeswoman's take:

“We believe that there is a significant effort on behalf of the Democratic Party to aggressively attack my boss’ legislative agenda and provide further distraction, not allowing us to move forward leading the state,” Melissa Subbotin said. “As far as the Wall Street Journal story goes, we don’t know. We don’t know who is providing it but we do hear rumors just like you do.

But getting back to reality for a second. Here's the response of Senate Minority Leader and frm gubernatorial candidate Dina Titus:

“I think the stress is getting to the governor. Now he’s looking for a conspiracy,” Titus said.

“I have never met this (reporter),” Titus said. “I’ve never talked to him. He has never asked me for a comment. I have no connection to him whatsoever.”

More voices from the reality-based community:

“I find it hard to imagine that anyone paid the Wall Street Journal to fabricate stories about the governor,” Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas said. “The Wall Street Journal is generally considered a conservative newspaper, perhaps run by Republicans and not Democrats.”

[...]

“The very idea that a newspaper of that caliber is going to accept money to make up stories about a governor is far-fetched, to say the least,” Buckley said.

“We don’t have that much juice,” added Assemblyman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas and the chair of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

Of course, this whole rumor deal doesn't explain why the Governor is under investigation by the FBI. Are Dems now paying the FBI as well? You only really grasp the craziness of the whole deal when you listen to the first part of the conversation between Ray Hagar and Jim Gibbons. Yup, there is a tape. This really is like Nixon reloaded. Listen to it here.

There have been so many stories involving Gibbons in the past year that it's really hard to keep track. The WSJ is trying to and in Nevada local blog Vote Gibbons Out is really doing the best job. He posted a timeline on Jim Gibbons and his wife Dawn and their involvement with the Defense Department contractor and their holiday trips with the owners of said company.

All this leaves only one question: when will Gibbons be recalled. Nevada law only allows for a recall after the Governor has been in office for six months, so proceedings could start in July and Nevada bloggers and activists are gearing up for it.

Here's a petition for you to sign.

PS: Conveniantly, this story has already been picked up by the AP. Hope it'll spread far and wide.

Updated Links

I've just gone through all the links on the sidebar and threw all the ones out that either didn't work anymore or haven't been updated in a long time.

New links include:

Nevada Assembly Democrats
Dullard Mush
Rural Nevada Democratic Caucus Blog
The Next President Visits Nevada
Hotline On Call
Political Wire
The Gavel

There are two other sites that I would have liked to permanently link to but just couldn't:

Dina Titus Blog
Las Vegas Sun Politics

Both sites are supposed to be blogs (one can only guess so in the case of LVS Politics since it's hosted on TypePad). However, both are just not blogs. The Dina Titus Blog had a total of only 4 posts in February which are not even in chronological order and there still is no feed for her site. As for LVS Politics. Well, go look for yourself. You will be hard pressed to find anything other than articles published in the Las Vegas Sun. That ain't a blog. That's recycling! And just really sad as the journalists of the LVS would actually have something valuable to say, I suppose.

Say Hello to Gov. Krolicki

The biggest flunk ever to be elected governor of the Silver State may actually not be governor at all. According to what's been reported around the buzzing Nevada blogosphere this state may not even have a governor right now.

Before I go on, read the full run down on Vote Gibbons Out.

So, technically, Gibbons would have to be removed. Lt. Gov. Krolicki (R) would then take over as Governor and a new election would possibly have to be called.

Here things would become really interesting. Would Gibbons run again? Would it be too embarrassing? Would his wife run? Would Krolicki want to keep the new job? Who would the Democrats nominate? "Dina-Might"? Speaker Buckley? Anyone else?

Will any of this ever happen? Probably not. The establishment will see to that and I doubt that Harry would like to see his Caucus disturbed in any way.

There's a New Blogger in Town

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, last year's Democratic nominee for Governor, has joined us crazy, everyday Nevada bloggers and we welcome her!

She send out an email yesterday, announcing her new website:

As we enter the second week of the new legislative session, I’m happy to report that www.dinatitus.com is back online and ready to serve as a hub for you to stay in touch!

It’s an important moment for our state – when we will decide whether to take the steps necessary to really move forward in such important areas as education, transportation, renewable energy and health care. At the same time, the 2008 Democratic presidential caucus is already bringing national attention to Nevada and its issues. There has never been a better time to make your voice heard.

I look forward to posting regular updates on the issues before us this session, calls to action on legislation and community efforts, news articles of interest and perhaps even some inside gossip from the halls of the capitol. We’ve also created a special area for links to the latest happenings related to the presidential caucus.

Those of you who know me well may be pleasantly surprised that I’ve also officially entered the 21st century (finally!) with a blog. I’ll do my best to write often – and I look forward to reading your responses. I’ll also see about getting some of my Senate colleagues to do some guest blogging!

Please share your thoughts often and help grow this site into a true online community. I hope you will use it as both a resource and a sounding board for the issues on your mind.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

The website is surprisingly well done and an improvement to the old Titus for Governor website. It's so professional that you have to wonder whether she is actually gonna run for Congress against Porter in 2008.

Visit Dina's website here and don't forget to read her blog!

Guinn: North Getting More Liberal, More Democratic

Many of us were disappointed that Jill Derby, Jack Carter and Dina Titus lost their respective races a week ago. However, there is still something to celebrate. Northern Nevada is getting more Democratic and more liberal. That's not me making stuff up. The (Republican) Governor says so:

And as for a north versus south, Republican versus Democrat political divide in Nevada, Guinn says that is changing too.

Governor Guinn: "There is a growing base in the north. And what I think people have not analyzed yet is that base growing in the north is more liberal, more Democratic."

Yup, you heard that right. And he isn't that far off. The best example of that is Jill Derby. Yeah, she lost to Dean Heller but Heller barely got over 50% of the vote in this oh so conservative district. Plus, Derby managed to win Washoe County by about 4,500 votes and even Mineral by six votes.

Even more interesting are the numbers for the constitutional offices. Four out of six constitutional offices will be held by Democrats - Secretary of State Ross Miller, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, Treasuser Kate Marshall and Controller Kim Wallin.

Every one of them won Washoe County. Miller by 15,000 votes, Marshall by 4,000, even Wallin by 1,000 and Cortez Masto just slammed her opponent winning more than double the votes he won beating him by more than 40,000 votes.

Besides Clark and Washoe County these candidates also managed to win in the rurals:

• Miller won Carson City, Mineral and Storey counties.
• Marshall and Wallin also won Mineral County.
• Cortez Masto won Carson City, Churchill, Douglas, Humboldt, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, Storey, and White Pine Counties.

(all numbers from the SoS website)

So, yeah, I guess you could say that there might be a growing liberal base in the north, especially in Washoe and Mineral counties. Thanks for pointing that out, Governor!

A Message From Dina Titus

Here we are, friends, at the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

What a remarkable journey we have taken together. Consider what has taken place as a result of last night's election.

I will return to the Nevada State Senate with our Democratic Caucus reinforced by Senator-elect Joyce Woodhouse.

Four of six constitutional offices in Nevada will be held by Democrats with new ideas and energy.

The Democratic majority in the State Assembly will be strengthened with a new member from Washoe County, David Bobzien.

The right-wing domination of the US House of Representatives is at an end.

At this hour, Nevada's Senator Harry Reid may become Majority Leader of the US Senate once final results in the last outstanding senate race are determined.

I have been blessed this campaign season with the opportunity to be with friends old and new in every corner of our state. The people of Nevada have given me extraordinary opportunities to be of service and I will never let them down.

Our cause was and always will be returning power back to ordinary Nevadans. For years, the election of our state's Governors has been referred to as an "annointment." This year, because of us, that has changed. It is my hope that you will continue to work with me for a more ethical, responsive government devoted to reform and innovation.

I am thankful for my campaign staff, an amazing mix of veterans and enthusiastic young people who share our vision for a better Nevada. They worked extraordinary hours and invested their abundant energy out of pure love for the cause. They are terrific.

From the beginning there was Team Titus, our volunteers corps whose selfless dedication carried us forward. Team Titus is truly unprecedented in Nevada political history. Without you, my campaign would never have gotten off the ground. It is truly an honor to know you all and call you my friends.

Then there are the volunteers throughout the state who are not formally part of Team Titus. Your countless hours of work and your loyalty are things I will never forget.

I have worked to uphold twin responsibilities: that of a state senator and that of carrying the banner of the Democratic Party as its candidate for Governor. I could not have accomplished this without my family. My mother and sister were there with me every step of the way. "Hi mama!" was the refrain I would hear from the staff whenever my mother arrived to work alongside the volunteer crews. My sister was everywhere at once with a smile and encouragement for everyone. You adopted my family just as I have adopted you into mine.

Finally...a word about my best friend and husband, Tom. He has shown this state what I have always known—he is truly the First Gentleman of Nevada. His steadfast presence, kind nature and generous spirit, along with a remarkable talent for bringing people together, was the rock our campaign stood upon.

I have asked a great deal of you; but I have one more request. This campaign is over, but the causes we fight for are far from accomplished. I pledge to return to Carson City and work with leaders on both sides of the aisle on initiatives that will bring real improvements in education, ethics, the environment, energy, and economic development. Those five E’s won’t be forgotten. We all have a role to play there. If we do not work together to address these issues, the consequences for our state and future generations will be disastrous.

Thank you again. While our campaign did not end the way we had hoped, collectively we have moved forward and together we will help to usher this state into a new era.

Respectfully Yours,

Dina Titus