Horsford named to Dem primary commission

State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, is one of the members of a commission the Democratic National Committee has put together to look at the party's nominating schedule.

Horsford is one of 37 members of the Democratic Change Commission, which is to examine the timing and structure of the party's primaries and caucuses.

During the 2008 election, almost as heated as the battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton was the controversy over the nominating process, it seemed. In Nevada, where early caucuses made the state third to weigh in after Iowa and New Hampshire, many of the 118,000 caucus-goers as well as the campaigns complained about the caucus process, which some called confusing or unfair. Nationally, the party's system of superdelegates drew fire for weighting the nomination toward the will of party elites. Both those issues are to be examined by the new commission.

Since they will presumably have an incumbent president seeking reelection in 2012, Democrats are likely to have a less contentious nominating process than 2008's.

Horsford was an early Obama backer in Nevada and campaigned hard for the eventual Democratic nominee. He also was a superdelegate thanks to his position as one of Nevada's DNC members.

In a statement released today, Horsford said: “It is my sincere honor to represent Nevada and the West on the Commission for Change. I deeply believe in the importance of ensuring the system by which we choose the Democratic Nominee for President be fair, transparent, and representative of citizens of Nevada and the nation.”