Tragedy on the trail

Barack Obama's state director in Nevada, just 44, dies suddenly of heart attack.

Published November 3, 2008 6:58PM (EST)

Some tragic news: As reported by Marc Ambinder, Barack Obama's Nevada state director, Terence Tolbert, died last night of a heart attack. This would be a tragedy under any circumstances, any week of the year.

But Tolbert died the weekend before an election in a state which matters to the outcome matters nationally and, worse, he was  just 44 -- younger than Obama himself. Our thoughts go out to him, his family, and what I'm sure is an extended political family in Nevada Democratic politics.


By Thomas Schaller

Thomas F. Schaller is professor of political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the author of "Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South." Follow him @schaller67.

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