Ex-regent Derby again to take on Heller for seat

CARSON CITY -- Former university Regent Jill Derby will challenge Republican Dean Heller again for Nevada's 2nd Congressional District seat.

Derby said she is stepping down as chairwoman of the Nevada Democratic Party to focus on her race against Heller, whom she lost to in 2006.

The Jan. 19 Democratic caucuses motivated a lot of residents to participate in the presidential race, and that should translate into support for Democratic candidates in November, Derby said.

"We registered 30,000 new Democrats statewide, with about 10,000 in Congressional District 2," she said. "There is still a gap, but it is narrowing, so we are going in the right direction."

The gap between the two parties in District 2 is a little more than 36,000 in favor of the GOP, compared with nearly 48,000 in November 2006.

Derby said the caucus helped Democrats organize to the precinct level, which will be a benefit this election cycle.

"We have energy and momentum on our side," she said. "This is our year. This is our time."

The seat was open in 2006, when former Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., decided to run for governor.

Heller, who fended off a tough primary challenge from former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, went on to defeat Derby in November 2006 with 50 percent of the vote to Derby's 45 percent.

District 2, created after the 1980 census, always has been held by a Republican, starting with former Rep. Barbara Vucanovich in 1982.

February voter registration figures show the district, which includes a small piece of Clark County, remains heavily Republican.

February figures of active voters released by the secretary of state's office show the district with 133,623 Democrats and 170,263 Republicans. Also, 50,367 nonpartisan voters live in the district.

Derby said it is clear that Democrats want a change in the White House.

"I believe Nevadans also want an independent voice in Congress, so I've decided to leave my post as state party chair to focus on a run for Congressional District 2," she said.

Derby said Heller has not been independent, having voted with President Bush more than 90 percent of the time.

Heller did not represent Nevada's interests when he voted against expanding a health insurance program for children, which would have covered another 130,000 Nevada children, she said.

"He now has a record," Derby said.

"And it is a pathetic record in terms of being independent and representing Nevada's interests."

Stewart Bybee, Heller's press secretary, said Heller always has worked for the state's best interest.

"Congressman Heller has worked tirelessly over the past year for the people of Nevada, and he will continue to focus on the work that needs to be done for his constituents over the course of this year, regardless of who enters the race," Bybee said in a statement.

Derby is a resident of Douglas County and is a member of a prominent Nevada ranching family.

She served as a member of the Board of Regents and helped oversee the state's higher education system for 18 years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Review-Journal Capital Bureau reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or (775) 687-3900.