Hillary Wows Nevada Democrats - Why Endorsements are Important

Hillary Clinton scored another couple of endorsements, mostly low-key this time but including the first rural one. The LVRJ:

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign says it will announce another batch of endorsements from Nevada elected officials today.

If it seems like you've read this story before, it's because Clinton's Nevada campaign is racking up practically all the endorsements of prominent Democrats, from state officers to county commissioners to legislators to city council members.

Coming on board today will be Las Vegas City Councilman Ricki Barlow, North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Stephanie Smith and Dennis Keating, president of the Nye County School Board.

They follow a trail blazed by Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid and since trodden by such Democratic notables as former Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, former Gov. Bob Miller, state Sen. Dina Titus, Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, state Treasurer Kate Marshall and long lists of business leaders and activists in the Hispanic, black and Asian communities.

Some of the more interesting endorsements are still out there, as thus far most Democratic members of the state legislature have yet to endorse any candidate. Washoe County's Democratic Assembly members are recounting their experiences to the Reno Gazette-Journal's Ray Hagar:

"It was very exciting to check my voice mail and have a message from Hillary Clinton," Leslie said. "She left me her cell number and her office number. You can't help but be star struck when national candidates of that caliber are calling you on your cell phone. That has never happened to most of us in Nevada.

[...]

Bobzien is a prime example of the push to get the legislators. He's just coming off his first term in the Assembly but was given the honor, usually reserved for a party bigwig, to introduce Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina, during his recent presidential campaign stop in Reno.

"It was pretty exciting, and I certainly had butterflies in my stomach when I did it," Bobzien said.

Of course, butterflies are not a criteria for choosing a presidential candidate, so David Bobzien has asked his constituents to let him know their opinion on his blog. The original post already has four comments to it, all by Hillary Clinton supporters:

“Oh yeah, the caucus.” Phone and email messages from supporters, surrogates and even the candidates themselves were already stacking up and reminded me that the next part of my new job as a politician had already begun. Nevada’s Democratic Presidential Caucus was in full swing and it was time for me to hop aboard. Candidates are campaigning hard, and they’re asking for my support.

Having met six of the eight Democratic candidates for President, read books written or suggested by many of them, and followed news of the campaign, I would have thought my choices for President would be clear by now. But here’s the thing…

I have no idea who I’ll ultimately support for President.

That’s where you come in. I need your help.

David Bobzien also posted an email from a Richardson supporter. Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign explains the importance of these endorsements:

"Having an early caucus in Nevada is new," said Hilarie Grey, state press secretary for Clinton. "So, when you have people in Assembly districts who run grassroots campaigns, who really know their district, its people and their issues, those are the kind of people who you want working in your campaign."

The campaigns are not just after the representatives endorsements. They also want their organizational skills.

"It is important to keep in mind that you need people who are good at organizing, who are grassroots advocates who will bring a caucus together," said Adam Bozzi, Nevada press secretary for the John Edwards campaign. "Our big focus is trying to make sure that we have people who know how to organize."

Added Grey: "At least in the Clinton campaign, we are not looking for symbolic endorsements. We are looking for people with great knowledge of Nevada and great grassroots networking that can help Nevada."

And the Clinton people certainly know how to wow Nevada Democrats. The Nevada Dem blog reported on Tuesday:

The major presidential campaigns were well represented by articulate, passionate and committed staffers. Hillary Clinton knocked everyone’s socks off with a magnificent, very personalized video message to the group –- boutique marketing at its zenith!

And Molly Ball of the LVRJ also took notice of this:

At a recent party Central Committee meeting in Elko, all the candidates sent representatives. But Clinton sent a personalized video in which she mentioned many party insiders and staffers by name.

"People were standing there with their mouths open," the official said.

"They couldn't believe Hillary Clinton said their name. They all wanted copies of the video."

And there would be a lot of copies to go around. Judge for yourself. The campaign has posted the video on its website.

Of course, all this has a little side-effect - expectations:

A prominent Democratic insider who hasn't endorsed a candidate said some of the national campaigns were leery of committing too many resources to Nevada's first-time caucus effort if Clinton already has it sown up.

That, the insider said, could hurt the credibility of the new effort and diminish its significance in early-state momentum.

"In D.C., they think it (Nevada) is hers to lose, so they are not paying as much attention to Nevada as they could be."

Another side-effect was mentioned by the Las Vegas Gleaner - that Nevada might be perceived as Clinton's to lose. Is it?

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Hillary Clinton? Then join the Nevada for Hillary Clinton group at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

In Nevada, Hillary Clinton Gets Biggest Endorsement Yet

Today, Hillary Clinton received the biggest endorsement in her quest to win the Nevada Caucus as of yet. State Treasurer Kate Marshall of Reno is the latest edition to Hillary's growing Nevada endorsement list:

Marshall, a Democrat who was first elected in November, said she is endorsing Clinton because of Clinton’s fiscal policies.

“It is all to do with her fiscal policy,” Marshall said. “I like her comment on government reform. I really appreciate that she no longer wants to be a debtor nation and that we need to live within our means. She doesn’t believe that tax dollars represent an unlimited credit card.”

Marshall said Clinton understand the importance of the business sector in shaping a strong economy.

“She is the candidate who understand that you can’t have a strong economy without a strong business community,” Marshall said. “She talks about shared prosperity. In other to make the economy strong, you have to have a strong business community and you have to have a strong work force. These two are codependent and I like it when I hear someone identify the fact that we need a strong business community.”

Now, there have been other endorsements before Marshall. They are Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid, State Senate Min. Leader Dina Titus, former Gov. Bob Miller, and former Attorney General Frankie Sue del Papa.

Why does Marshall's endorsement eclipse those of the other important current and former officials. Three reasons:

• Kate Marshall is the only current statewide official so far to endorse any candidate.
• Kate Marshall is the only northern Nevadan to endorse any candidate. She is also the only Democratic northern Nevadan statewide official.
• Kate Marshall is a rising star in Nevada. She is a possible candidate for any higher office, including Governor, US House and Senate.

All in all, she was the top prize in northern Nevada. And Hillary snatched her.

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Hillary Clinton? Then join the Nevada for Hillary Clinton group at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

Yucca Opponent Newest Member of Hillary's Nevada Team

Las Vegas CityLife reports that Peggy Maze Johnson, the former executive director of Citizen Alert, joined Hillary Clinton's Nevada campaign this month. Citizen Alert is best known for its efforts in opposing the nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.

"The bottom line is the best way to defeat Yucca Mountain is to elect a Democrat, and I believe that Democrat is going to be Hillary Clinton," said Johnson, who has worked for Citizen Alert since 2002. "She's absolutely right on Nevada issues and Yucca Mountain, in particular."

The Hillary Clinton campaigns enthusiasm seems mutual:

"Peggy Maze Johnson has been a stalwart on the political scene," said Hilarie Grey, communications director of Clinton's Nevada campaign. "She has great networks. She knows about all the issues. She understands what's going to be important for Nevada in this presidential election. The experience she brings is going to be a great asset to our campaign and Hillary Clinton's efforts to win the Nevada caucus."

One could argue that this kind of a recruitment might be more important for Hillary's campaign in the long run than the big-name endorsements of (former) elected officials like Gov. Miller and Sen. Titus as the Las Vegas Sun writes that endorsements are not as important anymore as they once used to be.

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Hillary Clinton? Then join the Nevada for Hillary Clinton group at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

Hillary Gets Former Gov. Candidate Dina Titus' Endorsement

Dina Titus (l) and her mother Betty with Hillary

The Gleaner reports that the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial nominee and State Senator from Las Vegas Dina Titus today endorsed Hillary Clinton for President. This is interesting in many respects:

One, all the prominent women in Nevada so far have gone for Hillary - most notably former Attorney General Frankie Sue del Papa, with Las Vegas Congresswoman Shelley Berkley contributing to Hillary, and only Hillary, in the first quarter.

Two, Titus was one of the high profile endorsements and most sought after because of "Team Titus" - her volunteers from last year's campaign. It remains to be seen whether they'll all support Hillary but it's fair to assume that the majority probably will.

Three, it'll be interesting to see if this will have any impact on the NV-03 race. Reportedly, both Titus and fellow Hillary supporter Rory Reid are interested in taking on Jon Porter.

Four, now that Titus has come out of the woods watch out for other endorsements to come out very quickly, most noticeably by elected statewide officials who were asked to remain neutral as long as possible.

Five, Obama, Edwards, et al. will have some catching up to do.

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Do you live in Nevada and are a supporter of Hillary Clinton? Then join the Nevada for Hillary Clinton group at the Democratic Party's PartyBuilder social networking site.

Endorsements, Endorsements, Endorsements

A lot of things are happening on the endorsements front, some of that in Nevada:

• Hillary Clinton will formally get the endorsement of former Nevada Governor Bob Miller today (who's son, btw, is now the Secretary of State). As almost every other endorsee he also gets to co-chair something, in this case it's the "Governor's Council" - Las Vegas Sun.
• Hillary was also endorsed by pastor Dr. Robert Fowler. Never heard of him but Obama's candidacy is apparently reason enough to round up as many African American endorsements as she can get. This was announced on a conference call by Rory Reid, on which the Las Vegas Gleaner was happy to listen in - Las Vegas Sun, Las Vegas Gleaner.
• Neither Chris Wicker (Washoe County Dems Chair) nor Assembly member Sheila Leslie have endorsed Barack Obama (yet) but they both seem to be very enthused - Reno Gazette-Journal.
• And if you want an overview of gubernatorial and congressional endorsements you're best served by taking a look at Stateline.org (Governors, pdf) and The Hill (Congress).

Thanks, Shelley!

On April 14 I wrote a post on Las Vegas Congresswoman Shelley Berkley apparently breaking her neutrality pledge by contributing $2,300 to Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. So, I got in contact with the Congresswoman's staff and asked if she had any comment on this. Apparently she did not as I never got a reply either way.

Therefore, I was a little bit surprised when The Hill picked up this story 3 weeks later ('Neutral' Dems quietly give money to Clinton) and there was a statement by Nevada's own Shelley Berkley:

Said Berkley, “The one distinction with Mrs. Clinton is Mrs. Clinton’s Hill PAC has been supporting me for many years and when I was contacted by mutual friends to support her, I had no hesitation whatsoever. However, I just try to be as evenhanded as possible. I expect by Jan. 19, 2008 all the candidates will receive contributions from me.”

Berkley said Myra Greenspun, a friend whose husband roomed with Bill Clinton at Yale Law School, asked her to give.

So, what are we to make of this? That this wasn't a story worth commenting on because it came from a blogger and not the mainstream media? Or that Shelley Berkley rather answers questions by DC reporters than Nevada blogs?

Thanks, Shelley!

Hey Candidates, Want Some Support in the Rurals?

Do you? Well, first you'd probably need to travel there, like Sen. Chris Dodd did recently when he went to Pahrump in Nye County. Another thing that might help is the fact that there are actually elected Democratic officials in the rurals. Yeah, who'd have thunk it. Not the Nevada Democratic State Party as they only feature elected officials from Washoe and Clark counties on their website.

Anyhow, here's the list:

Churchill County:

Vicky Tripp, County Recorder
John Serpa, County Public Administrator

Elko County:

Mike Nannini, County Commissioner

Esmeralda County:

Nancy Boland, County Commissioner
R.J. Gillum, County Commissioner
Karen Scott, County Auditor/Recorder

Eureka County:

Michael Rebaleati, County Recorder/Auditor

Lander County:

Gladys Burris, County Clerk

Lincoln County:

Bill Lloyd, County Commissioner
Leslie Boucher, County Recorder/Auditor
Kathy Hiatt, County Treasurer
Tommy Rowe, County Commissioner

Mineral County:

Ed Fowler, County Commissioner
Richard Bryant, County Commissioner
Cheri Emm-Smith, District Attorney

Nye County:

Gary Budahl, County Treasurer
Sandra Musselman, County Assessor

Pershing County:

Roger Mancebo, County Commissioner
Celeste Hamilton, County Assessor
Donna Giles, County Clerk/Treasurer
Darlene Moura, Recorder/Auditor
Dave Ayoob, County Commissioner

Storey County:

Harold Swafford, District Attorney

White Pine County:

Robert Bishop, County Assessor
RaLeene Makley, County Commissioner
Martha Rivera Sindelar, County Recorder

I don't lay any claim to the accuracy of this list, as I actually had to research it since Nevada Dems apparently don't like to advertise the fact that they have elected officials in the rurals. Still, maybe you'd like to contact a couple of them and try to score a nice endorsement?

Why Vilsack Endorses Hillary

Today, Tom Vilsack endorsed Hillary Clinton for President. From a campaign e-mail:

I'm not someone to play coy about my intentions. When I make a decision, I go all in and follow through. Hillary Clinton has the same determination, and it is something I have always admired.

When I first ran for governor of Iowa in 1998, many people didn't give me much of a chance. But not Hillary. She told me she'd do everything she could do to help, and she followed through. She stood by my side, and Iowa is better for it. She helped ignite the spark that changed Iowa from a red state to a blue state.

By standing with Hillary now we'll help show that we are strong enough to win back the White House -- and America will be stronger and better for it.

...

Christie and I plan on spending the next 10 months helping Hillary win the Iowa caucuses and the other states necessary to win the Democratic nomination -- and after that, the White House in 2008.

I am proud to do it because of all the candidates running, she has the best ideas, the most energy, and the values and vision to lead our country in the right direction after eight long years of George W. Bush.

She's going to put an end to the war in Iraq. She's going to make sure every American has access to affordable health care. She's going to make us energy secure. And I know she'll put children and families first -- she has fought for them for decades.

Overall this email seems almost more like a pure fundraising letter than an endorsement. I figured there was no need to quote all the money request lines. Nevertheless, if you want to contribute to Hillary or any other campaign, you can do so via the Nevada Caucus 2008 ActBlue page.

Del Papa to Head Hillary's Northern Nevada Campaign

Hillary Clinton has hired former State Attorney General and Secretary of State Frankie Sue Del Papa to head her campaign in Northern Nevada:

Former Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, who passed up a bid to become the state's first woman governor, is joining Hillary Clinton's campaign to become the nation's first woman president.

The Clinton campaign said Monday that Del Papa, a popular Democrat with a lengthy public service career, will head its northern Nevada steering committee, overseeing strategy and serving as an adviser to the statewide campaign.

'Frankie Sue has a long history of breaking barriers and serving the people of Nevada,' Clinton said in a statement. 'I am honored that she will be heading up our campaign efforts in northern Nevada.'

AFSCME Forum - Roundup

I had some problems with the livestream at C-Span from time to time but other than that I must say that I was positively surprised by today's forum.

First of all, I really liked the format. I've seen my share of debates and most of them sucked. Even though there were 600 people in the audience the setting came across as quite intimate. 10-15 minutes for each candidate by himself was quite a good idea to get acquainted with all the candidates.

Generally, I was surprised by the quality of the field. We have a wide variety of qualified candidates. And even the ones that are not taken seriously are still interesting and have something to say. Two of the frontrunners, Edwards and Hillary, pretty much performed as expected though Edwards was better than Hillary.

Because of livestream problems at the beginning I didn't catch too much of Dodd but it seemed like he did really well and got a great response from the audience. Other than that I was quite impressed by Bill Richardson and also Joe Biden who came across as the most qualified candidates. Finally Kucinich and Gravel rounded things up and didn't disappoint. I don't know if either should be president but I'd definitely like to see more of them in politics.

All in all, it's gonna be a fun year - and a much better and more interesting primary campaign than 2004.

PS: Oh, yeah, Obama wasn't there. He chose to spend the day in Iowa. After watching the forum I must say that that was probably not the smartest move. Though he did get the endorsement of former Senate leader Tom Daschle today.

Reid Jr. Signs Up With Hillary

While Sen. Harry Reid doesn't intend to endorse anyone, one of his sons has gone a step further:

With Reid not committing, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) found the next-best thing -- signing his eldest son, Rory, as both the chair of her campaign in the Silver State and an adviser on Western issues.

Rory Reid currently serves as the chairman of the Clark County Commission -- that's Las Vegas's county -- and is a past chairman of the Nevada state party. He is the only one of Reid's four sons in elected office.

In landing him, Clinton strikes the first major blow of the Nevada caucus contest, newly added to the party's early nominating calendar by the Democratic National Committee last year. The caucus is set for Jan. 19, sandwiched between Iowa's Jan. 14 caucuses and New Hampshire's Jan. 22 primary.

Up until now, it seems like the establishment sticks to the establishment. Wonder when someone will deviate from this pattern.

"Dina-Might"

Wow! I must say, I'm really baffled that neither friend nor foe of last year's Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dina Titus came up with this one. Thanks for the folks at the Politico!

As most Democratic officials in Nevada have declared not to endorse anyone for the Nevada Caucus for the greater good of Nevada (?), the Politico's Michael Squires thinks Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus's endorsement will be one of the big prizes in Nevada:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is Nevada's highest-ranking politician -- ever. But the veteran Democratic politician has vowed to remain neutral.

That has some believing the big endorsement "get" will be state Sen. Dina Titus, who narrowly lost a bid for governor last year. But her Team Titus grass-roots operation was impressive and continues to demonstrate its ability to put butts in the seats.

A recent appearance by former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack in southern Nevada drew 100 people, about half of whom were furnished by Titus operatives, the types of Democratic activists expected to turn out in droves and decide the outcome of the caucuses.

I wonder who's gonna get her endorsement. Is it gonna go to Vilsack or one of the other candidates who helped in her gubernatorial campaign. Two people who did not show up for Dina were Hillary Clinton (she had to cancel her rally due to some emergency business in New York) and Barack Obama who hasn't been to Nevada at all in the last election cycle. So, maybe Richardson and Edwards have a shot at getting it as well.

For more thoughts on the Nevada Caucus read Michael Squires's article.

Endorsements

So far, I haven't heard of any Nevada officials endorsing anyone. Most are in that weird Nevada Caucus push group started by Sen. Reid and have vowed not to endorse anyone.

Anyhow, that doesn't seem to be the case in Iowa as Barack Obama has received early endorsements by Attorney General Tom Miller and State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald.

As for congressional endorsements, Hotline has put together a great overview which they promise to keep updated. Leading among Democrats is Hillary Clinton with 13, Obama with 8, and Dodd with 6. Edwards (2), Richardson (2), Biden (1) and Vilsack (1) are trailing behind. The complete list (pdf!).

As of right now, it seems Obama's Iowa endorsements are worth more than Hillary's congressional endorsements, especially since most of them are from New York. The endorsements for Obama seem even more important since former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is also in the running.

AFL-CIO to Announce Endorsement After Las Vegas Meeting

This campaign season is getting weirder and weirder, in that Nevada seems to get more prominent. The Hotline On Call blog reports that the AFL-CIO will announce its endorsement earlier than usual, and apparently will make its decision in Las Vegas, hopefully not under the influence of gambling and drinking:

According to AFL-CIO spokesperson Steve Smith, they are "working out details right now" for their WH '08 endorsement and are likely to announce their decision in early March, following their first Executive Council Meeting since the Nov. '06 elections in Las Vegas, NV, March 6th - 8th.

Each of the 54 national and international labor unions within the AFL-CIO has their own respective endorsement processes and must be considered in forming the general AFL-CIO endorsement. The AFL-CIO endorsed Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) in Feb. '04, but Smith noted they "do not usually" make their endorsement decision as early as they plan to this cycle.

From the speculation that I've seen, both Hillary and Edwards are the favourites to get this endorsement. This early decision is obviously bad news for the underdogs.