Kate Marshall

Kathleen Marie "Kate" Marshall (born July 22, 1959) is an American attorney and politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She was the Nevada State Treasurer. Marshall was not eligible to run for a third term as treasurer in 2014 due to lifetime term limits established by the Nevada Constitution. She ran for Nevada Secretary of State in 2014 and was defeated by Republican Barbara Cegavske.

Education and early career

Marshall was born on July 22, 1959 in San Francisco, California. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1982. After graduation, she served in Kenya as a member of the Peace Corps. Marshall also interned for U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt's law firm.

After law school, Marshall went on to serve with distinction in the Department of Justice where she received the Antitrust Division’s Outstanding Contribution Award for service. Her career in public service continued when Kate became the Senior Deputy Attorney General for the state of Nevada under Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa.

Treasurer of Nevada

Marshall was initially elected Treasurer of Nevada in 2006. She won the Democratic nomination with over 65% of the vote and defeated Mark Destefano in the general election by a 47-41 margin. She was elected to a second term on November 2, 2010, against Steve Martin with 48% of the vote, in what was considered a bad electoral year for Democrats overall.

According to Marshall's Treasury website: "A crowning achievement of her term as State Treasurer is the successful sponsorship and passage of Senate Bill 75 during the 2011 Legislative Session, which created the state’s first in-state private equity investment fund. The goal of the $50 million Silver State Opportunity Fund is to capitalize on investment opportunities in Nevada in order to increase funding for Nevada’s K-12 schools. A minimum of 70% of investments must be made in businesses located in Nevada, looking to expand in Nevada, or in businesses wishing to relocate in Nevada. Earnings from the fund go to Nevada’s K-12 schools."

"In 2013, she worked with Upromise, the Nevada College Savings Plans program manager, to lower the initial account opening cost to a mere $15, making it more affordable for Nevada families to begin saving for their children’s future higher education costs. Kate initiated the Ugift and Silver State Matching Grant programs, which provide greater opportunities for family members and friends to contribute to a child’s college savings plan. Further, the Distinguished Valor Matching Grant program was established to assist Nevada military families save for their children’s college costs."

"In 2013, Kate successfully launched the Nevada College Kick Start Program, which opened SSgA Upromise 529 college savings accounts with an initial deposit of $50 for Nevada public school kindergarten students. No tax dollars were used in establishing these accounts; rather, a portion of program manager fees paid to the Treasurer’s Office by our private sector partners provided the necessary funding. The ultimate goal of this program is to create a more “college-going culture” in our state."

U.S. Congress special election

On May 4, 2011, Marshall announced that she would be running in a special election for Nevada's 2nd congressional district.

On September 14, 2011, Marshall was defeated 58% to 36% in the election by Republican Mark Amodei.

Candidacy for Secretary of State

Marshall is the Democratic candidate for Nevada's Secretary of State in 2014. Her platform includes:

1. Continue to modernize the administration of elections to increase voter participation, the accuracy of voter rolls, and to decrease costs;
2. increase transparency in campaign finance so that voters can "follow the money;"
3. work with city, county, state agencies to facilitate ease of registration and licensing for businesses;
4. work with US Treasury officials to prevent and prosecute individuals/entities who create and license shell corporations for illegal purposes;
5. improve voter access for voters with disabilities;
6. identify innovative methods to increase economic development and to provide for a well-educated workforce; and
7. improve voter access for our military and overseas voters.