Money headed to Nevada

The Democratic Governors Association will be spending $20 million to try to win governorships in eight states, Nevada among them. The $20 million was described as an “initial” commitment in those states.

The DGA linked the effort to redistricting—and specifically U.S. House redistricting—that will follow the 2020 census.

In 2011, the Nevada Legislature failed to complete its post-census redistricting tasks before final adjournment. A state district judge in Carson City, instead of ordering a special session of the legislature, took control of the process and imposed a redistricting plan. The judge, Todd Russell, was later reported to own a mining claim jointly with Mark Amodei, now the U.S. House member from northern Nevada.

“With fair maps in our eight targeted states, Democrats could net more than 20 congressional seats, dramatically improving our chances of winning back a lasting Democratic majority in the House,” Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in a prepared statement. Inslee chairs the DGA.