Donna Toussaint

Monica Moradkhan, executive director of the Republican Assembly Caucus.: Politicker Photo.Periodically, PolitickerNV.com will be profiling one of the staffers and consultants who work so hard to get these guys and gals elected and us something to write about. Today's subject: Monica Moradkhan, executive director of the Republican Assembly Caucus.

LAS VEGAS -- If Democrats fail to reach the veto-proof majority in the Assembly they've been craving for years, a good bit of the credit for it will belong to Monica Moradkhan. Moradkhan has served as executive director of the Republican Assembly Caucus since 2006, an unlikely vocation for the onetime UNLV hotel administration major.

"I've always had an interest in politics," said Moradkhan, 28. "It started in high school when I was on the student council and student body president."

LAS VEGAS-- Filing began this morning for non-judicial candidates in the Silver State, officially kicking off the election season. Check back regularly throughout the day with PolitickerNV.com for a list of filed candidates.

And be sure to check back at the end of the day for a summary.

Newly filed candidates in Clark and Washoe Counties:

LAS VEGAS-Democrat Marilyn Dondero Loop, a 56-year-old retired teacher, announced yesterday that she will be seeking the 5th Assembly District seat currently held by Republican Valerie Weber.  Weber, who announced last year that she will be leaving the seat to run for the open Clark County Commission District C seat being vacated by Chip Maxfield, has endorsed Republican Donna Toussaint to succeed her.

"As a life-long Nevadan, I am not satisfied with the status quo in our state, where we rank near or at the bottom of almost every list that compares our quality of life with other states," said Dondero Loop.  "When it comes to educating our children, making affordable, quality health care available for all and making sure people feel safe in their own neighborhoods, we can do better."

Assembly candidate Donna Toussaint speaks to contributors during Tuesday fundraiserLAS VEGAS-Donna Toussaint, the Republican candidate to succeed Valerie Weber in the 5th Assembly District, hosted a fundraising event last night at Captain's Cove Lakeside Bistro in west Las Vegas. About fifty people attended, including several other legislative candidates and a smattering of elected officials.

"It takes a lot of money to run a campaign," said Toussaint to the assembled contributors. "I had no clue. I thought ‘okay, I have $2,000, I can run.' It doesn't work that way."

LAS VEGAS—Eyebrows raised across the Las Vegas political community last week when 5th District Assembly candidate Donna Toussaint sent out a fundraising invite, listing among her hosts Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese and Councilmen Steve Wolfson and Ricki Barlow.

The controversy, simply put, is that Toussaint is a Republican seeking the open Republican seat being vacated by Valerie Weber. Although their positions are non-partisan, Mayor Goodman, Reese, Wolfson and Barlow are Democrats.

“I’ve worked with these people for over a decade,” said Toussaint Monday. “It’s just a relationship that we’ve developed over the years, one of mutual respect.”

Ryan Erwin, president of Ryan Erwin and AssociatesLas Vegas- In the coming weeks, PolitickerNV.com will be profiling some of the staffers and consultants who work so hard to get these guys and gals elected and us something to write about.  Today’s subject: Ryan Erwin, president of Ryan Erwin and Associates.

Erwin, 36, began his career in politics while a student at Ohio State University in the early nineties.  He worked for the Ohio GOP and was active in both state legislative races and the Bush/Quayle ’92 Ohio effort before leaving school to run the statewide grassroots for former Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine in 1994.

Las Vegas- Donna Toussaint, a 61-year-old longtime Las Vegas community activist, has thrown her hat in the ring to replace Republican Valerie E. Weber in Clark County’s 5th Assembly District. 

Toussaint, who served for nine years as president of the West Sahara Community Association, has already drawn the support of some of Nevada’s highest ranking Republican women and hopes to bring the skills she has garnered from years of community involvement to the state legislature.

“I understand how municipalities work,” said Toussaint Tuesday.  “I’ve gone through the leadership programs in the city of Las Vegas.  I’ve worked with the city and the county for many, many years, so I know I can bring that knowledge to Carson City.”