Jill Derby
Encyclopedia
Jill Talbot Derby served from 1988 to 2006 as an elected Regent
for the Nevada System of Higher Education
, serving three terms as Board Chair. She ran as the Democratic
candidate for the open seat of Nevada's 2nd congressional district
in the 2006 election, losing but gaining national attention by making this heavily Republican district competitive for the first time. Following that, she served as the chairwoman of the Nevada Democratic Party
from March, 2007 until February, 2008 overseeing Nevada's first ever early presidential caucus
. She ran for Congress again in 2008, but lost.
. Her grandfather, Charles Derby, worked as a mining engineer in the Virginia City mines, and her father attended the 4th Ward School in Virginia City as a child before later moving to Lovelock to develop the Flying Flapjack Ranch, where Jill spent the first years of her life.
Jill attended the University of California, Berkeley
and then the University of California, San Francisco
, where she obtained her first bachelor's degree. After residing in the Bay Area, teaching, and traveling, she took a job with a company in Saudi Arabia in 1966 and lived there for three years. During her time in the Middle East, she learned Arabic and developed an interest in cultural anthropology. Upon returning to the United States, she earned a second bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
, followed by her master's degree and her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology with a specialization in Middle Eastern cultures, both from the University of California, Davis
.
, Steven . They have one daughter, Tobyn, and one son Ryan. The Derby-Talbot family have lived in a Gardnerville home for more than twenty years which survived the Autumn Hills Fire.
Jill Derby is also an avid Apple user.
, who won the Republican
nomination in August and the general election in November.
Derby was always fighting an uphill battle in her campaign to win a primarily Republican district. Although she did win the Democratic primary by default (no Democrat challenged her in the primary election
), many claimed she had no chance of winning. When polls showed the race was tied, President George W. Bush
came to Nevada
twice to campaign for Heller.
Derby had numerous supporters early on. In December 2005, CNN political analyst Paul Begala
, who helped engineer Bill Clinton
's 1992 win, said he was encouraged by U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel
, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
to “stump” for Derby. In July the Las Vegas Sun
reported Derby raised $269,000, ending with nearly $514,000 on hand for her campaign.
On September 20, 2006 the Las Vegas Sun
reported, "Heller was 8 points ahead of Democrat Jill Derby of Gardnerville. In a Reno Gazette-Journal
-KRNV News 4 poll taken soon later with a 4 percent margin of error, 18 percent of the potential voters were undecided."
The race was close, but Heller managed to maintain a 5 percent lead winning 50% of the vote compared to Jill's 45%http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/NEWS19/611080369/1232. In response to her defeat Derby said "I got into this race to take Congress back, to restore the checks and balances that have been absent in our government, and get our country back on track to a brighter future. All that got accomplished in this election. We lost our battle but we won the war."
.
She also means to restore fiscal responsibility. She noted, "Politicians have created runaway deficits with wasteful spending, pet projects like the Alaskan bridge to nowhere, and special interests tax giveaways like billions for the oil companies."http://www.jillderby.com/issues.html She promises to "restore fiscal discipline in Washington, support a balanced budget, and pay down the national debt.”
Her stance on the Iraq War is that the United States should withdraw from Iraq but not before helping to establish a stable government. She has signed onto the A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq
along with 42 other Democratic congressional candidates seeking office in 2008. Derby has said about the plan, "It addresses two fundamental questions, How do we end our involvement in a responsible manner and what do we put in place to make sure we don't make similar mistakes again." http://www.jillderby.com/node/9 In addition to ending the war, the plan suggests using U.S. diplomatic power to create stability, addressing the humanitarian issues of displaced Iraqis, live up to the promises made to our military, and create a U.S.-centered energy policy.
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for the Nevada System of Higher Education
Nevada System of Higher Education
The Nevada System of Higher Education was formed in 1968 to oversee all state-supported higher education in the U.S. state of Nevada. The name was changed in 2004. Two doctoral-granting research universities, one state college, four community colleges and one research institute comprise the...
, serving three terms as Board Chair. She ran as the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate for the open seat of Nevada's 2nd congressional district
Nevada's 2nd congressional district
Nevada's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district occupying all of Nevada outside of Clark County, and some parts of Clark County. Reno, the county seat of Washoe County and the fourth-most populous city in Nevada, is the largest city in the district. Washoe County casts about 70...
in the 2006 election, losing but gaining national attention by making this heavily Republican district competitive for the first time. Following that, she served as the chairwoman of the Nevada Democratic Party
Nevada Democratic Party
The Nevada Democratic Party is the state affiliate of the United States Democratic Party in Nevada. Its chair is Roberta Lange, and its Executive Director is Zach Zaragoza .-History:...
from March, 2007 until February, 2008 overseeing Nevada's first ever early presidential caucus
Nevada Democratic caucuses, 2008
The Nevada Democratic Presidential Caucuses took place on January 19, 2008 after having been moved from a later date by the Nevada Democratic Party...
. She ran for Congress again in 2008, but lost.
Biography
Jill is a fourth generation Nevadan. Her great-grandfather, Thomas Derby II, acquired land along the now I-80 corridor through Lovelock, the current home to both the Derby Airport and the Derby DamDerby Dam
Derby Dam is a diversion dam on the Truckee River, located between Reno and Fernley in Storey and Washoe counties in the U.S. state of Nevada. It diverts water that would otherwise feed Pyramid Lake into the Carson River watershed for irrigation use. It is operated by the Truckee-Carson...
. Her grandfather, Charles Derby, worked as a mining engineer in the Virginia City mines, and her father attended the 4th Ward School in Virginia City as a child before later moving to Lovelock to develop the Flying Flapjack Ranch, where Jill spent the first years of her life.
Jill attended the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and then the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
, where she obtained her first bachelor's degree. After residing in the Bay Area, teaching, and traveling, she took a job with a company in Saudi Arabia in 1966 and lived there for three years. During her time in the Middle East, she learned Arabic and developed an interest in cultural anthropology. Upon returning to the United States, she earned a second bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
, followed by her master's degree and her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology with a specialization in Middle Eastern cultures, both from the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
.
Personal life
Jill Derby is married to a Carson Valley Large Animal VeterinarianVeterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
, Steven . They have one daughter, Tobyn, and one son Ryan. The Derby-Talbot family have lived in a Gardnerville home for more than twenty years which survived the Autumn Hills Fire.
Jill Derby is also an avid Apple user.
2006 Congressional Campaign
Derby ran against Secretary of the State of Nevada Dean HellerDean Heller
Dean A. Heller is the junior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Republican Party. Heller was appointed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to a vacant seat created by the resignation of John Ensign. He was previously a member of the United States House of Representatives,...
, who won the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nomination in August and the general election in November.
Derby was always fighting an uphill battle in her campaign to win a primarily Republican district. Although she did win the Democratic primary by default (no Democrat challenged her in the primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
), many claimed she had no chance of winning. When polls showed the race was tied, President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
came to Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
twice to campaign for Heller.
Derby had numerous supporters early on. In December 2005, CNN political analyst Paul Begala
Paul Begala
Paul Edward Begala is an American political consultant and political commentator. He was an adviser to President Bill Clinton. Begala was a chief strategist for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign, which carried 33 states and made Clinton the first Democrat to win the White House in sixteen years...
, who helped engineer Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's 1992 win, said he was encouraged by U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician and the 55th and current Mayor of Chicago. He was formerly White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama...
, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. They play a critical role in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and organizing races in districts that are expected to yield...
to “stump” for Derby. In July the Las Vegas Sun
Las Vegas Sun
The Las Vegas Sun is a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper. It is one of Las Vegas, Nevada's two daily newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group....
reported Derby raised $269,000, ending with nearly $514,000 on hand for her campaign.
On September 20, 2006 the Las Vegas Sun
Las Vegas Sun
The Las Vegas Sun is a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper. It is one of Las Vegas, Nevada's two daily newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group....
reported, "Heller was 8 points ahead of Democrat Jill Derby of Gardnerville. In a Reno Gazette-Journal
Reno Gazette-Journal
The Reno Gazette-Journal is the main daily newspaper for Reno, Nevada. It came into being when the Nevada State Journal and the Reno Evening Gazette were combined in 1983...
-KRNV News 4 poll taken soon later with a 4 percent margin of error, 18 percent of the potential voters were undecided."
The race was close, but Heller managed to maintain a 5 percent lead winning 50% of the vote compared to Jill's 45%http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/NEWS19/611080369/1232. In response to her defeat Derby said "I got into this race to take Congress back, to restore the checks and balances that have been absent in our government, and get our country back on track to a brighter future. All that got accomplished in this election. We lost our battle but we won the war."
Democratic Chairwoman
On March 31, 2007 Nevada Democrats elected Derby as the state chairwoman of the Democratic party. Derby led the party during Nevada's historic early presidential caucus on Jan. 19, 2008, which resulted in a statewide shift of voter registration leading to a Democratic majority in Nevada for the first time in decades. She stepped down on February 19, 2008 to run for Congress.2008 Congressional Campaign
On February 20, 2008 Derby announced a second run for Nevada's 2nd congressional district against her previous opponent, freshman congressman Dean HellerDean Heller
Dean A. Heller is the junior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Republican Party. Heller was appointed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to a vacant seat created by the resignation of John Ensign. He was previously a member of the United States House of Representatives,...
.
Issues
She identifies as a moderate Democrat with a "unique understanding of the most significant issues of the day – from education to the Middle East." Her campaign focuses on making health care affordable to combat the double digit increase in Nevadian family health care costs.http://www.jillderby.com/issues.html This also includes lowering prescription drug costs and reforming the prescription drug bill, which "Congress passed and was mostly by and for the pharmaceutical industry, not patients."She also means to restore fiscal responsibility. She noted, "Politicians have created runaway deficits with wasteful spending, pet projects like the Alaskan bridge to nowhere, and special interests tax giveaways like billions for the oil companies."http://www.jillderby.com/issues.html She promises to "restore fiscal discipline in Washington, support a balanced budget, and pay down the national debt.”
Her stance on the Iraq War is that the United States should withdraw from Iraq but not before helping to establish a stable government. She has signed onto the A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq
A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq
A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq is a 36-page plan created by a group of United States Democratic congressional candidates, retired military officers and national security professionals that outlines policy measures that the candidates pledged to support in the 2008 elections.The plan's...
along with 42 other Democratic congressional candidates seeking office in 2008. Derby has said about the plan, "It addresses two fundamental questions, How do we end our involvement in a responsible manner and what do we put in place to make sure we don't make similar mistakes again." http://www.jillderby.com/node/9 In addition to ending the war, the plan suggests using U.S. diplomatic power to create stability, addressing the humanitarian issues of displaced Iraqis, live up to the promises made to our military, and create a U.S.-centered energy policy.
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2006
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2008
External links
- Jill Derby for Congress official campaign site
- ActBlue page for Derby