Amid efforts to recall three state senators and with a caucus leader mounting a bid for attorney general, the Nevada Senate Democratic caucus is bringing in a new executive director.

The caucus announced Wednesday that it has hired Cheryl Bruce, a former director with the North Carolina House Democratic Caucus, as its new executive director. She’ll replace Peter Koltak, who left that position at the end of July for a job in Democratic Rep. Ruben Kihuen’s office.

“Cheryl’s extensive legislative caucus experience in a battleground state environment will help us expand our Democratic majority in the 2018 election cycle by defeating the GOP's baseless recall petitions and helping our candidates run cutting-edge campaigns,” Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford said in a statement.

Democrats currently hold an 11-seat majority in the 21-member state senate, with nonpartisan Sen. Patricia Farley regularly caucusing and voting with Democrats. Of the 11 seats up for election in 2018, Democrats hold 4 seats while Republicans hold 6 seats, and the remaining seat is held by Farley.

Of those 11 senate districts, two — Senate District 8 held by Republican Sen. Becky Harris and Senate District 9 held by Farley — had a majority of voters cast ballots for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election despite being represented by a member of another party at the Legislature.

But the party first needs to survive efforts to recall 2 Democratic state senators and Farley, and is actively engaged in a “Decline to Sign” campaign aimed at raising opposition to the recalls.