www.papersplease.org

(This isn't to say I dislike Nevada pols...but so far it's much like Ohio...a logjam running for governor and no one wants to run against a cupcake Senate opponent).

NV-02: Jill Derby, Nevada University Regent with family roots that run deep in rural (Lovelock) NV. Jill is not yet a delared candidate.  Encourage her.  This will be a tough race; but the Repug primary battle may prove bloody with Dawn Gibbons (Jim's wife), Dean Heller (popular Secty of State), Sharron Angle (radically anti-tax; supporting CA-style Prop 13 Initiative for NV) hopefully slugging it out all through until the primary election in August 2006.  Expect Jill to be unopposed in the primary should she decide to run.

NV-03: Either Jim Gibson (Henderson Mayor, attorney, and younger generation in old NV political family) OR Oscar Goodman (popular, colorful, controversial Las Vegas Mayor) OR Richard Perkins (State Assembly Speaker, Henderson Deputy Sheriff).  But they all seem to be "considering" getting into the governor's race instead!  No one seems to be seriously considering going up against Jon Porter (who reportedly has the pledged support of Tom DeLay and his PAC(K)! (A BIG negative!)

So who do we run against Senator Ensign?
If only Chancellor Jim Rogers were a Democrat and not an Independant.  He has the deep pockets that have proven effective in so many Senate races...but he may also jump into the governor's race; hopefully, creating a Perot-effect not the Ventura-effect.

I live in rural northen Nevada. Bonnie Parnell's successful state assembly bid last year is the only encouraging Democratic Party win I can point to here in the north state. The "bench" offers lean pickings up here.

Clark County bloggers, who are the rising stars in the NV Dem Party in southern Nevada?  There's a bit more going on re: emerging Democratic leaders in the south.  Are there established stars who might be considered for re-entry into the fray?

Perkins will be going for Governor (and will probably win).

Goodman is wildly popular in Vegas, and could probably fly in the rest of the State, despite the Mob Lawyer stuff in his past.  

I'm more interested in finding someone for CD-2, When Gibbons(R) runs for Governor, we will have an open seat.  It needs to be someone like a Hackett or Schweitzer to get in there. CD-2 is a bite of Las Vegas area and the rest of the state.  Mostly rural and needs someone who can get past the single issue Rural group- the NRA and guns.  

Any Ideas There??

A couple months back David Sirota wrote something that I have been thinking a lot about:

But it's not only going to take infrastructure, it is going to take courageous leaders who are willing to risk their own hides and run for higher office. It's why I'm so thrilled Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is risking his House seat to run for Senate. That's why I would be thrilled if Congressman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) ran for Senate

I, like him and all of you you, would have loved to see someone like Congressman Brown run for that Senate seat and have been thinking what we could have done to encourage him besides set up the perfunctory DraftBrown.com website or internet petition.  

Then I remembered reading this article by Joe Trippi earlier this year on MSNBC (obviously the website isn't working).  He talked about creating a website which would take internent/credit card pleges - no one could give more than $100 bucks.  The money would be "held" and the first candidate that came along and promised not to take any amount greater than $100 bucks would be enititled to that entire pot of money.

So why couldn't some neutral party do the same thing to encourage progressive candidates to run.  For example, mydd, kos, swingstateproject or an interested party could set up a site with candidates you would want to see run (e.g. Brown, McCaskill).  [Or there could be a straw poll to determine who to support??]  I for one would go to the site, give my credit card info, pledge say $50 bucks to the "McCaskill Campaign", and if McCaskill ran - the 3rd party would deduct that money from my account and give 100% (or maybe 99.9% to cover overhead) to her campaign. If she decides not to run, the money does not get deducted from my account and nothing is lost (as long as you don't sell my credit card information).

But this - i.e. a nice pot of money waiting for her -- might be a way to prod some of those "courageous leaders" to take some risks.

Just have been playing with the idea in my head and thought something that might interest.

Goodman should either run for CD-3 or against Ensign, or perhaps for governor. Either way, this guy will be our only hopes of knocking out an incumbant congressman, and I hope he decides to run.

But she's a tough as nails former prosecutor and a highly charismatic individual:

"Appointed as a U.S. District Judge in 1998 by President Bill Clinton, Judge Rawlinson holds another distinction. She is the first African-American woman to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. President Clinton appointed her to the circuit in 2000.  

Despite her modest beginnings in a small town in North Carolina, Judge Rawlinson went on to graduate with honors from North Carolina A&T State University with a degree in psychology. She earned a full scholarship to the University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law.  

Prior to taking the bench, Judge Rawlinson served in the District Attorney's office for 18 years. She served as deputy district attorney and then assistant district attorney." link  

I don't know enough about the others but Berkley would be a poor choice.

Perkins has been preparing to run for Gov for several years, and despite his anemic name ID and favorability numbers, has shown no sign of switching to either challenge Porter or Ensign. He's a hardworking guy but lacks much charisma and is also not very progressive nor very partisan; I'm not sure why he would draw much "netroots" interest.

I've posted this before, but if folks out there who consider themselves "netroots activists" want to support a progressive candidate whose campaign has the potential to really change politics in NV, you should take a look at Dina Titus' campaign for Governor.

As for a NV Senate candidate who would provide a nice foil to Ensign, I think the most interesting, most likely (and the one who would likely be the most palatable to MyDDers), state party Adriana Martinez.

As much as I would love to see a Democratic majoirty, I would rather see the Democratic System work.  And in order for that to work, we need to let the people in Nevada decide for themselves who will better represent them.

What are WE going to be looking for in the candidate?  Opposition to the war, pro-Same-Sex Marriage, pro-Privacy, and Pro-Choice.

But what do the people of Nevada want?  I can't honestly tell you because I do not live in Nevada.  People that visit here from Nevada should be able to help or hurt a candidate.

But certainly not me from deep in the heart of Texas.

90% X 70% = 63% right there.

It's arithmetic kids.

I'm a NV Dem activist and I resent that Pete Ernaut, infamous as Republican Kingmaker, is going to manipulate the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

For those of you not tuned into the Nevada political scene, this is like Carl Rove suddenly announcing himself to be active in Chris Bell campaign in Texas?  Say what?

Ernaut is the "mastermind" behind the successful campaigns of Republicans John Ensign and Kenny Guinn?  And now he's made it known he intends to support his good friend Richard Perkins' (D) possible candidacy for governor.

Mr. Perkins, please the end does not justify the means! "Kingmakers" aren't democratic by definition!

NV Dems are desperate to win statewide offices but aren't we supposed to believe in a two-party system anymore -- even in Nevada!
 

State Sen. Steven Horsford
Assemblyman John Oceguera
Assemblyman Marcus Conklin

The profiles can be seen here: http://www.dembench.org/states/nevada.php

By definition, these guys are young, but we think they have a lot of talent.

http://www.dembench.org