Nevada Democrats oust incumbent, elect 'unity' candidate as party chair

Nevada Democrats ousted incumbent party chair Judith Whitmer in favor of moderate state assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno on Saturday, following several years of turmoil within the state party. 

Monroe-Moreno was elected as the first black female chair of the Nevada Democratic Party in a 314-99 vote, along with her slate of fellow “unity” candidates, according to The Nevada Independent. 

“Thank you, Nevada Democrats! This victory belongs to all of us fighting to unite our Democratic family because we know how much we are capable of when we come together as one team. Let’s get to work!” the sitting assemblywoman wrote in a tweet on Saturday night.

The vote represents a sharp rebuke of Whitmer, a democratic socialist whose two years as party chair were plagued by a growing rift between progressive and moderate factions of the state party.

Whitmer and her fellow progressive candidates took control of the state party from the famed “Reid machine” — named for the late Sen. Harry Reid (D-N.V.) — in 2021. 

However, career Democratic operatives and the entire permanent staff of the Nevada Democratic Party quickly resigned en masse and, according to progressives, took much of the party’s money with them. 

Those who left formed a new organization, Nevada Democratic Victory, which some have referred to as a “shadow party.”

Tensions boiled over last month after Whitmer removed more than 230 members of the Nevada State Democratic Party’s governing body ahead of the elections. Although she argued the move was not politically motivated, Whitmer faced calls to resign from top elected officials.

The shift in leadership comes as Nevada Democrats look ahead to the 2024 elections, when the Silver State will take on the No. 2 spot in the Democratic primary lineup alongside New Hampshire. Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen (D), one of the Senate’s most vulnerable candidates, will also be up for reelection next year.