The Clark County Democratic Party re-elected its openly gay chairman Chris Miller to a third term on July 18. Miller ran uncontested for his third two-year term. He is the first openly gay chairman of a Democratic Party organization in Nevada.

Miller’s goal is clear – help return Nevada to Democrat hands. In the 2014 midterm elections, Democrats lost control of the Legislature and all statewide offices. Miller’s been working to revert this ever since. 

“That process started the day after the 2014 election. I met with my team and we set out to listen to Democratic voters, the grassroots of the party, to find out why some of them sat out the election,” Miller tells Gay Vegas. “From that point we set out on a top-to-bottom review of how we do business.”

For him, the July 18 decision means three terms of “doing business.” He plans on using his prior experience to the good of the party, and the people. “People want their voices to be heard and their votes to matter,” he says. “I think the last election showed me that voting matters and it is my job, along with others in the Party, to ensure people understand what is at stake and the difference one vote can make.”

Despite his notable rhetoric, it wasn’t until 2008 that Miller got involved in politics. He attributes the change in him to President Barack Obama’s election and the passing of Proposition 8 that same day in his home state of California. 

“I realized that it was time for me to take more direct action. I got involved in LGBTQ rights issues and organizations, was one of the planners of the 2009 National Equality March in Washington, DC, and found ways to get involved in local Democratic Party politics.”

And because he became involved in politics a bit later in life, Miller says he never actually had to come out in the political world, having entered it as “an out and proud gay man.”

What’s more, he claims he’s been an out individual in a welcoming environment, politics and all. “From day one, the Democratic Party has been open and welcoming to me as a gay man.”

It’s a party like this he says he will gladly lead. “I am proud to lead a party that has been at the forefront of many civil rights issues, including LGBTQ rights.”