Establishment Democrats have regained control of the Nevada State Democratic Party (NSDP) after a tumultuous two years under the direction of far-left leaders.
The Nevada Independent reported that Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D) beat out embattled incumbent Judith Whitmer by a margin of 314-99 in the state party chair election on Saturday. Whitmer, who led a coalition of candidates endorsed by the Los Vegas chapter of the Democrat Socialists of America (LVDSA) to leadership positions in 2021, has drawn intense scrutiny from progressives and establishment types for her performance. Notably, the LVDSA abstained from endorsing in this year’s race.
Monroe-Moreno told reporters that “2024 is far too important, and the division within our party had to come to an end” after her win on Saturday, according to the Nevada Independent.
“It wasn’t going to do anyone any good,” she said. “The 2022 election cycle was difficult. We won a lot of seats, but we did it with division and we can’t continue to do that. So I ran so we can bring the family, the Democratic family, back together.”
She led a group of “unity” candidates who swept top positions, per the Independent.
The party takeover two years ago by those who were previously part of Nevada for Bernie infrastructure, according to the LVDSA, marked a significant milestone for the radical socialists as they looked to transform the party for years to come. But trouble ensued from the get-go as establishment Democrats allegedly took steps to undermine the new leadership at several turns.
Some outgoing staffers allegedly transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars from NSDP coffers to the National Democratic Senatorial Committee as Whitmer and new leadership came in.
“The previous administration pretty much burnt the house down,” Whitmer told Politico. “When we got the keys, there was a lot of reorganization that had to be done. Records were missing and money had been transferred out.”
The LVDSA said it was ready to help but asserted that “instructions never came” from the party officials they backed during elections, and neither “did any real communication.”
Establishment Democrats also created the Nevada Democratic Victory, which operated out of Washoe County and, as NBC News reported, “became a shadow party apparatus with aides tied to more establishment Democrats in the state, including Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen.”
While Cortez Masto (D-NV) squeaked by former Attorney General Adam Axalt for reelection in the Silver State’s U.S. Senate race, Democrats suffered their only incumbent gubernatorial loss in the nation in Nevada under Whitmer’s watch. Gov. Joe Lombardo (R-NV) beat out former Gov. Steve Sisolak.
Former deputy campaign manager for Sisolak’s campaign, Molly Forgey, issued a statement to NBC News bashing the state party’s handling of the gubernatorial race:
The State Party created additional challenges for the governor’s re-election. They actively worked against the coordinated campaign supported by elected officials and national committees, campaigned against the governor’s appointed Lt. Governor, and used their limited resources to pay their allies instead of turning out Democratic voters.
One of Sanders’ former Nevada staffers lamented over what he or she sees as a missed opportunity.
“It really feels like any efforts to elect progressive or left-wing candidates here is back to square one,” the ex-staffer told Politico. “Whereas when Judith was coming into this role, there really was a foundation that could have continued to be built upon.”
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