The Nevada State Democratic Party selected state Treasury Secretary Kate Marshall as their nominee for the special election for the second congressional district.

The Democratic Party said that the whole party is united behind Marshall as the candidate, while Republicans currently have two candidates running — former state Sen. Mark Amodei, who was selected by the central committee of the party, and former USS Cole Commander Kirk Lippold, who was not selected, but has said he intends to continue campaigning until the state Supreme Court decides the rules for the election.

“No matter what new twists and turns this election process takes, Nevada Democrats are united behind Kate Marshall’s campaign and ready to get to work to elect her as Nevada’s next Congresswoman,” said NSDP chair Roberta Lange in a statement.

“Kate has served as a prudent watchdog for Nevada taxpayers as Treasurer and will continue her efforts to reign in government waste and overspending in Congress,” said Lange.

She continued: “While Kirk Lippold and Mark Amodei are fighting to end Medicare, privatize Social Security and ship American jobs to China, Kate is committed to creating jobs that stay in Nevada and protecting Social Security and Medicare.”

Republicans immediately issued an attack on Marshall, calling her part of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s machine. (Nevada candidate’s light-hearted fear-mongering ad)

“Whether it’s taking Harry Reid’s fast campaign money or losing Nevadans’ tax dollars in a Wall Street gamble, Kate Marshall is wrong for Nevada,” said party communications director Mari Nakashima. “Nevadans simply cannot trust or afford another big government, tax-and-spend liberal in Washington, D.C. Voters in Nevada’s conservative 2nd District will have a clear choice this fall between a liberal Harry Reid puppet, Kate Marshall, and Mark Amodei, a lifelong Nevadan who knows, understands and has experienced the tough issues pinching Nevada families across the state.”

The rules of the special election, an unprecedented occurrence in Nevada, are currently in dispute. The Nevada Secretary of State initially interpreted the rules as allowing for a free-for-all election, in which any candidate who wished to run was eligible. That interpretation was overturned by a district court judge, who granted the authority to select candidates to the central committee of each party. The Nevada Supreme Court will hear the case at the end of this month.