By Niels C. Sorrells
Congressional Quarterly

Electoral votes: 4

Delegates: 29

Chairman: Rory Reid

Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn (El Segundo) (310) 726-0100

1996 Election:
Clinton – 44%
Dole – 43%
Perot – 9%

The Democratic Party mandated diversity for the state delegations to its national convention in Los Angeles. The Nevada delegation is doing its part. The 29-member delegation includes three Hispanics, two African-Americans and two openly gay members.

Youth will also serve. About one-fifth of the delegates are members of the Young Democrats, according to delegate Travis Souza, a technician at a community college in Sparks.

"We worked very hard to get these figures," said another delegate, Jim Bilbray, a lawyer and U.S. House member from 1987 to 1995.

Bilbray also sought to highlight the grass-roots nature of the delegation, noting that most of the state's delegates do not hold political office.

Those delegates who are elected officials include Sens. Richard H. Bryan, who chose not to seek re-election this year, and Harry Reid, who survived a close call in his 1998 contest against Republican challenger John Ensign and subsequently was named assistant minority leader by his Democratic Senate peers.

Also going to Los Angeles are freshman 1st District Rep. Shelley Berkley and Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa. Lawyer Rory Reid, Sen. Reid's son, will head the delegation.

Absent from the delegation list - but planning to attend the convention - is Edward Bernstein, the wealthy Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who hopes to succeed the retiring Bryan. Bernstein is fighting to shed the underdog label in his contest against Republican Ensign, a former two-term House member who comes in off his strong performance against Reid two years ago.

Nevada's delegation strongly favors Vice President Al Gore as the party's presidential nominee. The state's delegates were chosen after Gore had already clinched victory over his one rival, former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley.

President Clinton's veto of legislation that would establish a high-level nuclear waste dump near Yucca Mountain in the Nevada desert - a measure that most Nevadans strongly oppose - has helped solidify support for Gore among Nevada Democrats as he makes his own bid for president.

"We'll be fairly cohesive on things that matter to Nevada," said Souza.

Among other issues, several Nevada delegates also said they would be vocal in their support for abortion rights.

Del Papa conceded that the small size of Nevada's delegation usually places the state in a supporting role at the Democratic convention.

NEVADA NOTABLES: U.S. Sens. Richard H. Bryan (retiring) and Harry Reid, the Senate assistant minority leader; U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley; Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa; Rory Reid, who is heading the Nevada delegation and is Reid's son.