Former regent will try again to defeat Heller

CARSON CITY -- Former university regent and Nevada Democratic Party chairwoman Jill Derby filed to run against Rep. Dean Heller on Tuesday, saying the first-term Republican is out of step with Nevada and in lockstep with an unpopular president.

Derby said a vast majority of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track, and she wants to be a candidate for change.

"I'm in it to bring about the change the country needs," she said.

"I don't think he really represents Nevada," Derby said of Heller. "There is a record he has now that really reflects being a Bush clone. Being a rubber stamp for the Bush administration."

Heller voted against expanding a health care program for children, which would have helped 100,000 children in Nevada, and he voted against more affordable prescription drugs for seniors, she said.

The Republican registration advantage in Congressional District 2 is also dwindling, she said. The edge is about 30,000 Republicans and was 48,000 in the 2006 race, where Derby was the Democratic candidate against Heller.

The numbers also are trending toward Democrats, Derby said. When she announced her candidacy in February Republicans had a 36,000 vote edge.

Nevada will be a battleground state in the November presidential election and Derby said she expects to gain support nationally as well as within the state in her quest to win the House seat.

"If you want to change Washington you have to change the people you send to Washington," Derby said. "So I'm finding a lot of support out there."

Derby said she has raised about $200,000 so far for the race.

A report filed last month with the Federal Election Commission showed Heller with $808,385 in cash on hand, along with a $369,932 debt remaining from his win over Derby in the race in 2006.

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, has always been held by a Republican, starting with former Rep. Barbara Vucanovich in 1982. It encompasses 16 Nevada counties and portions of the 17th, Clark County.

Heller, R-Nev., filed for re-election May 5, saying he best represents the "independent thinking" of his district's citizens.

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.

Contact Review-Journal Capital Bureau reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775- 687-3900.