Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Regent Derby plans run for congressional seat next year

Gardnerville resident believes race 'winnable' in 2nd District

University Regent Jill Derby will run for Congress next year.

Despite the massive Republican voter advantage in the 2nd District, Derby believes the race is "winnable" for a Democrat like her.

"There's a mood in the country, a worry about what's ahead," said Derby of Gardnerville. "I think people are looking for a new, fresh voice and that's what I bring to the table."

Derby, 65, said she'd apply the nonpartisan working style she developed in 17 years on the Board of Regents to her work in Congress. She plans to finish her term on the board, a seat which is up for election next year.

The 2nd District, which encompasses all 16 northern and rural counties and a sliver of Clark, has nearly 47,000 more Republicans than Democrats. The voters have sent a Republican to Congress every election since the district was created in 1981.

"I think that Jill Derby must have some Idaho in her because she wants to be a salmon and swim upstream," said Michael Green, a history professor at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

The open seat being vacated by Jim Gibbons, who is running for governor, has already drawn three seasoned Republican politicians: Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, former Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons and Secretary of State Dean Heller are all running for the Republican nomination.

Derby reserved comment on the Republican candidates, saying it will be up to GOP voters to pick her opponent. She is the only announced Democrat in the race.

"They want a strong, independent voice," Derby said of the voters. "We're still the frontier in Nevada and Nevadans will vote for the person."

Green said the "right kind of Democrat" may be able to win if the GOP primary winner turns out to be too moderate or too conservative for the average district Republican. The Bush administration's troubles in Iraq and with the hurricane response may also impact voters, he added.

"It's not a good chance, but it's the best chance Democrats have had in a while," Green said.

Derby is working with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and said she expects the race to cost up to $2 million because of the massive geographic area candidates must cover.

Born in Lovelock, Derby has a doctorate in cultural anthropology and is currently a mentoring consultant to the National Association of Governing Boards, the organization of higher education elected bodies.

Derby has won three six-year terms on the Board of Regents, although she has largely run with light or no opposition.

Derby, who represents rural Nevada on the Board of Regents, appears to be a conservative Democrat. She said she is pro-choice but favors focusing on preventing unwanted pregnancies. And, while she said she is troubled by the war in Iraq, she would support keeping American troops in the country.