ICYMI: NV Dems Highlight the Need to Continue Elevating Diverse, Working-Class States As We Rebuild Our Party

This week, Nevada Democrats encouraged party leaders and candidates for Democratic National Committee Chair to prioritize diverse, working-class states in our shared task of rebuilding the broad coalition it takes to win national elections. Nevada rewards candidates who can appeal to all economic and educational levels. Of the battleground states, Nevada has the highest percentage of working-class adults and lowest number of adults with college degrees, and our share of union workers remains above the national average.

Read more below: 

The Nevada Independent: Nevada Democrats restart push to be nation’s first presidential primary in 2028

Gabby Birenbaum, 12/5/24

Key points: 

• With both Biden and Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison on the way out, Nevada Democrats are now restarting their campaign, arguing in a memo Thursday that the next chair should elevate Nevada to first-in-the-nation status come 2028. The DNC chose Nevada to go second in 2024.

• As in 2022, state Democrats argue that Nevada is the only state that meets the DNC’s professed preferences for a state that is racially and economically diverse, politically competitive and feasible for candidates and the party, both from a cost and technical competence perspective. Given Democratic losses in 2024 with Latino voters and working class voters, state party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno wrote that the DNC should elevate a state that possesses those kinds of voters in droves.

• “If Democrats want to win back working class voters and rebuild our broad coalition of voters of color, we should elevate the most working class and most diverse battleground state in the nation to be the first presidential preference primary for the 2028 cycle,” Monroe-Moreno said. “Nevada is the battleground state that best reflects our growing nation and the Democratic Party cannot afford to let overwhelmingly college-educated, white, or less competitive states start the process of winnowing the field again in 2028.”

• The letter’s emergence, published as the Association of State Democratic Committees meets for the first time since the November election, comes ahead of the upcoming DNC chair election on Feb. 1 — the first opportunity for Democrats to turn the page on the Biden era. The winning candidate will need a simple majority of the 448 voting members of the DNC — a bloc that includes six Nevadans.

• The best way to stress-test a Democratic presidential candidate’s appeal among the target voting blocs is to give those voters the first crack at selecting the candidate, the memo argues. More than 20 percent of Nevada voters are Latino, and the state as a whole is majority-minority. More than 70 percent of Nevadans over 25 do not have a college degree. And a relatively high percentage of Nevada’s workers are union members — a key Democratic constituency whose party loyalty has eroded over the years.
• “All of [those demographics are] really important criteria that I think the DNC should be looking at [to determine] who can best narrow down these candidates and reflect how the country feels,” said Tanner Hale, who as Nevada’s DNC committeeman will be among the voters selecting the next DNC chair. 

• “Nevada is the most consistently competitive battleground state in the country,” the memo says, noting that both senators won their races by small margins in the past two cycles. “Early organizing and Democratic voter registration in the primary is a down payment for winning here in November.”

• If Nevada Democrats are successful in moving to the front of the nominating calendar this time around, the state’s Democratic elected officials, power brokers and party allies — chief among them the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 — would have enormous influence in picking the front-runner. And the state would see an even greater influx of political attention, visits and spending.

• “We want a chair that understands that Nevada being first in the nation is what’s good for the country, because we’re the most reflective out of all the battleground states,” Hale said.

The Hill: Nevada Dems: Party officials, DNC chair hopefuls must emphasize ‘diverse, working-class states’

Julia Manchester, 12/5/24

Key points: 

• The Nevada Democratic Party called on the candidates for Democratic National Committee chair and other party officials to elevate diverse and working-class battleground states ahead of the Association of State Democratic Committees meeting this week. 

• In a memo obtained by The Hill, Nevada Democratic Party chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno said Democrats need to elevate states like the Silver State in order to rebuild following nationwide losses earlier this year. 

• “If Democrats want to win back working-class voters and rebuild our broad coalition of voters of color, we should elevate the most working class and most diverse battleground state in the nation to be the first presidential preference primary for the 2028 cycle,” Monroe-Moreno wrote.

• “Nevada is the battleground state that best reflects our growing nation and the Democratic Party cannot afford to let overwhelmingly college-educated, white, or less competitive states start the process of winnowing the field again in 2028,” she continued.  “This will be one of the DNC’s primary responsibilities over the next two years, and it’s crucial that we set an early window and primary calendar that puts us in the best position to win back the White House.”

• In the memo, the party also touted its status as the third most diverse state in the country and as a key swing state. 

• Nevada, along with the six other battleground states, was flipped by President-elect Trump last month. Trump won the state by three points after losing it by over two points four years ago to President Biden.

• Democrats did retain their hold on incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen’s (D-Nev.) seat by just over a point, however. The party has held onto competitive House districts in the state and maintained majorities in the State Legislature. 

FOX NEWS: Nevada Dems say ‘working-class’ states need to be prioritized in 2028 primary schedule

Alec Schemmel, 12/5/24

Key points:

• The Nevada Democratic Party is imploring its national party leaders to focus more on “diverse, working-class states” when it considers how to “rebuild” after this year’s election. 

• A Thursday press release from the state-level party in Nevada called on national party leaders and potential candidates under consideration to be the next Democratic National Committee Chair to “elevate” working-class states to the front of the presidential primary calendar for 2028. The press release cited a process that has typically started with states that are “overwhelmingly college-educated, white, or less competitive.” 

• “If Democrats want to win back working class voters and rebuild our broad coalition of voters of color, we should elevate the most working class and most diverse battleground state in the nation to be the first presidential preference primary for the 2028 cycle,” Nevada State Democratic Party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno said.

Politico Playbook: 

“In a new statement, Nevada Democrats are urging party officials and candidates for DNC chair to emphasize “diverse, working-class states” in rebuilding the party. “Nevada is the battleground state that best reflects our growing nation and the Democratic Party cannot afford to let overwhelmingly college-educated, white, or less competitive states start the process of winnowing the field again in 2028,” said Nevada State Democratic Party Chair DANIELE MONROE-MORENO. “This will be one of the DNC’s primary responsibilities over the next two years, and it’s crucial that we set an early window and primary calendar that puts us in the best position to win back the White House.”’