2 Democrats join Nevada lieutenant governor race

Former two-term state Treasurer Kate Marshall announced Wednesday that she is running to be Nevada’s next lieutenant governor.

“Every parent expects a better life for their kids. But today, many Nevadans fear that the opportunity for a better life will be out of reach for their children. Nevada can do better for its citizens,” Marshall, said in a statement announcing her candidacy. “We must do more to create the future Nevadans expect.”

Marshall touted endorsements from virtually every major Democrat in the state, including former U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Reps. Dina Titus and Jacky Rosen, state Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford and Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson.

The primary winner between Chip Evans — who also announced his candidacy Wednesday — and Marshall would likely face Michael Roberson, the outspoken state Senate Republican leader who had previously announced that he’s running for the seat.

In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Marshall said she sees the position as an opportunity to make sure “the economy works for all the people in Nevada.”

Doing that means bringing more well-paying jobs to the state, ensuring affordable education and health care and “making sure the money that goes to government is being used for things that then serve you as the people of Nevada.”

Marshall was first elected as treasurer in 2006 and won re-election in 2010. She ran for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers the northern half of the state, during a special election in 2011, but lost to Republican Mark Amodei by 23 percentage points. She ran for secretary of state in 2014, but lost to Barbara Cegavske by 4 points in an election that saw Republicans sweep the state’s constitutional offices.

Before she was Treasurer, Marshall was an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division. She went on to serve as senior deputy attorney general under Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue del Papa.

“I’ve spent my career in public service putting the interests of Nevadans first,” Marshall said. “During my time as State Treasurer, I set political posturing and gamesmanship aside, working with both parties to get the results Nevadans depend on. Working together we made our state government more transparent, we found innovative ways to diversify our state’s economy and increased educational opportunities for all of Nevada’s students while saving taxpayers millions of dollars.”

Marshall runs a legal consulting business that she owns in Reno and serves on the Board of the United Way of Northern Nevada. She’s also taught part-time at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Another Democrat jumps in

Former congressional candidate Evans told the Review-Journal Wednesday that he plans to run for the seat as well. Evans ran against Amodei in 2016, losing by 21 percentage points.

Evans, who previously served as chairman of the Washoe County Democratic Party, said he comes from “a more progressive end” of the Democratic party than Marshall and thinks that could give him an edge in the primary.

Evans said he believes his history creating and running businesses would make for a good fit for the seat.

“There are good places for lawyers to work in government and there are good places for businessmen,” Evans said. “The role really needs to be fleshed out by somebody with solid business experience.”

Evans also thinks the endorsements of Marshall from the state’s top Democrats won’t play as big a factor as it may have in previous elections.

“These are the last throes of the Harry Reid-centralized machine here in Nevada,” Evans said. “It’s going to play out pretty oddly here in the next cycle.”

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.