What Selena La Rue Hatch’s Fundraiser Revealed About Her Political Supporters
On Tuesday, December 9, Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch held a holiday fundraiser at Craft Wine and Beer in Midtown Reno. This is a look at who supported the event and how Selena is aligned.
On the surface, it was a seasonal gathering with gingerbread graphics, warm lighting, and a cookie-and-sweater contest. But the host list tells a more critical political story: who is backing Selena, what coalitions she represents, and how her camp differs from the other factions competing for influence in Reno and Northern Nevada.
This was not simply a party. It was a window into the support structure for Selena — particularly the progressive-environmental bloc that has taken root in recent years.
Below is a breakdown of the supporters, their backgrounds, and what their involvement signals. It’s not “grassroots. “
Who Is Selena La Rue Hatch?
Selena La Rue Hatch serves Assembly District 25. Her political identity is grounded in:
Education (she is a former public-school teacher)
Progressive policy priorities
Environmental and conservation advocacy
Union-aligned voting patterns
Opposition to overdevelopment and unfettered water deals
She positions herself as an ideological progressive rather than a business-aligned centrist. Unlike moderate Democrats who often maintain ties to developers, chambers of commerce, or pragmatic governance circles, Selena draws her strength from activist networks, environmentalists, and public-sector-oriented groups.
This fundraiser illustrates that coalition clearly.
The Hosts: A Deep Look at the Coalition Behind Selena
The event is hosted by a carefully curated circle of activists, environmental leaders, public policy veterans, nonprofit advocates, and long-standing progressive donors. The list is more revealing than the invitation itself. Each name represents a specific faction of Nevada politics.
Environmental Leaders
Several of Nevada’s most influential environmental advocates are hosting this event. These are not peripheral figures — they are core strategists in state-level water policy, public lands conservation, mining oversight, and anti-sprawl advocacy.
Kyle Roerink - Executive Director of the Great Basin Water Network. Former staffer under Harry Reid. One of the most credible and influential water policy voices in Nevada. Roerink’s involvement signals significant environmental legitimacy.
Patrick Donnelly - Nevada State Director for the Center for Biological Diversity. Known for high-impact environmental litigation, watchdog policy work, and opposition to mining expansions. A lightning rod figure in Nevada ecological circles.
Nick Shepack - Nevada State Director at the Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC). Located in Northern Nevada, Nick works together with community organizations across the state to advance state and local campaigns for fines and fees reform.
Abby Johnson - president and coordinator of Great Basin Water Network, a specialist with decades of involvement in sustainable development and water resources.
What this means: Selena is the environmental movement’s preferred legislator in the region. This is a strong indicator of her voting alignment and policy positions moving forward. No other Democratic lawmaker in Washoe County has this level of environmental backing.
Progressive Democratic Establishment
Two names on this list have been foundational to progressive politics in Nevada.
Sheila Leslie - Former Assemblymember and State Senator. A well-known progressive policymaker who remains deeply connected in political and nonprofit networks. Leslie’s support indicates establishment-level progressive confidence in Selena.
Jan Gilbert - Co-founder of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN). A decades-long advocate at the Nevada Legislature for housing, poverty, healthcare, and environmental justice. Gilbert’s support is a major symbolic endorsement.
What this means: Selena is not a fringe progressive. She is plugged directly into the long-standing progressive infrastructure that predates current political cycles by decades.
Grassroots and Nonprofit Activists
Many hosts are rooted in nonprofit work, public health advocacy, education, or grassroots political organizing.
Olivia Tanager - Executive Director of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, which covers Nevada, one of the largest and oldest grassroots environmental organizations in the United States.
Cassie Charles - AFSCME Nevada State Representative in Nevada, a major labor union that advocates for public service workers and progressive labor policies. S
Bridget Speer Loring - a resource teacher in the Washoe County School District.
Tony Ramirez - Local activist within Democratic volunteer networks.
B. Fulkerson and Cathy Fulkerson - Lead National Organizer for Third Act, a national progressive advocacy organization focused on civic engagement and climate action for older adults.
Jamie Vaughn - administrator for Indivisible groups, including Indivisible Northern Nevada and Indivisible Mineral County Nevada, showing active involvement in grassroots civic engagement and progressive organizing.
What this means: Selena’s support base is not donor-heavy or developer-funded; it is community-centered, activist-driven, and mission-focused.
What This Fundraiser Tells You About Washoe County Politics
This host list reveals several critical political dynamics.
1. Selena is the candidate of Nevada’s environmental and conservation movement
No other sitting Washoe County Democrat currently has this depth of environmental backing. This positions Selena as a voice on water rights, mining oversight, land protection, and growth policy.
Her coalition is aligned with:
Great Basin Water Network
Center for Biological Diversity
Western Watersheds Project
Conservation finance networks
These groups have outsized influence in legislative debates and lawsuits affecting rural counties, water adjudication, and public land use.
2. She is firmly rooted in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party
There are three identifiable factions in Reno-Washoe Democratic politics:
Moderate Democrats: business-aligned, chamber-friendly, pro-development, often tied to consultants and institutional donors.
Labor Democrats: union-supported, pragmatic, education-and-labor focused.
Progressive Democrats: environmental, equity-focused, activist-driven, PLAN-adjacent, often skeptical of development interests.
Selena is clearly in the third camp.
There is no representation from developers, business PACs, moderate consultants, or commercial interests at this event.
3. This coalition is not about broad public appeal; it is about ideological alignment
Fundraisers like this are not designed to appeal to swing voters. They appeal to:
Activists
Nonprofit workers
Environmentalists
Progressive donors
Legislative advocates
This coalition is disciplined, policy-driven, and tightly interconnected.
It is also a bloc that often lives inside the Legislature’s most influential advocacy corridors testifying on bills, analyzing environmental impact statements, mobilizing supporters, and coordinating with statewide organizations.
4. It signals a strategic consolidation of progressive power in Northern Nevada
The participation of Leslie, Gilbert, and Roerink, three pillars of progressive influence, suggests a coordinated effort to strengthen Selena’s standing ahead of the 2026 cycle.
The Politics of Craft Wine and Beer
The choice of venue also fits the coalition:
Small, locally rooted business
Popular among progressive and arts-scene crowds
Not developer-owned
Not a convention space, casino, or corporate venue
Symbolically, this space aligns with the campaign’s identity.
Conclusion: A Clear Message About Who Selena Represents
Selena La Rue Hatch’s holiday fundraiser is not just a festive gathering; it is a political signal. The host list is a declaration of alignment with the progressive environmental coalition, which has become increasingly influential in Nevada policymaking.
This coalition stands in contrast to:
The centrist, donor-focused networks backing more moderate Democrats
The business-aligned or developer-supported factions
The independent and nonpartisan candidates in Reno politics
This party event reflects Selena’s alignment with her supporters’ values: environmental protection, progressive reform, public-sector focus, and community-oriented leadership.
The real story is not the cookie contest. The real story is who is inside the room — and what that tells us about Democratic politics in Northern Nevada.
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Appreciate this article.
Very informative! Keep writing!
Selena is 100% a progressive and advocate for communities and environmental justice, and is exceedingly popular amongst organizations and individuals fighting for those issues, but this article must be written by AI... It got almost every host committee member's affiliation or bio wrong, and many other details incorrect as well. Its a shame we have to parse things through so much now that there is so much incorrect and harmful AI generated content out there nowadays.