Cook Political Report

Congressional candidate Jill Derby: Campaign photoAfter the non-partisan Cook Political Report labelled Nevada's 2nd Congressional District "Likely Republican" — as opposed to "Solid Republican" — Democratic congressional candidate Jill Derby was quick to paint the shift as a positive sign for her campaign against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Dean Heller.

"This change is a sign of growing momentum in Jill Derby's campaign for change," Derby Campaign Manager David Mason said in a statement.

"It's beginning to become clear across the nation that Dean Heller's extremist voting record has disappointed many Nevadans who expected a more moderate, independent voice in Congress."

Derby lost the 2nd district to Heller by five percent in 2006 in a race that was characterized the stark difference between the two candidates' positions on the war in Iraq.

The chair of the Nevada Democratic Party through the state's caucuses this spring, Derby considers herself a moderate Democrat.