ELECTION 2008 :

Big gun comes out for Titus

Steve Marcus

Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., speaks on behalf of Democratic candidate for Congress Dina Titus, left, as she’s endorsed by the Nevada State Education Association in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Titus is challenging Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District.

By Michael Mishak (contact)

Thu, Sep 4, 2008 (2 a.m.)

Chris Morris

Far-left wing sees its best chance in decades but frets over pace of change (8-27-2008)

Dina Titus gracefully accepted the endorsement of the state teachers union Wednesday in her race for Congress, pledging to overhaul No Child Left Behind and increase access to college educations. But the real message of the news conference was the man standing behind her, Rahm Emanuel.

The mere presence of the Chicago congressman, who heads the House Democratic caucus and led his party’s efforts to retake Congress two years ago, shows the importance national Democrats have placed on the election for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District.

Titus, a state senator from Las Vegas, is among the party’s top-tier candidates and represents the toughest challenge of Republican Rep. Jon Porter’s career. The political winds are against the three-term incumbent. In 2006, he eked out a victory over challenger Tessa Hafen, winning by less than 4,000 votes when voter registration was evenly split. Today Democrats outnumber Republicans by 25,400 voters.

Higher Democratic voter registration numbers will also help Jill Derby, the former state party chairwoman, who is running against incumbent Dean Heller in the 2nd Congressional District. Two years ago Heller defeated Derby by about 5 percentage points.

The registration surge is largely due to the dueling campaigns of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Nevada’s early presidential caucus.

Although the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee two years ago supported Hafen, an aide to Sen. Harry Reid seeking her first elective office, its help — in the form of political ads — came late in the campaign. By contrast, in July the committee reserved $916,000 worth of TV advertising time for this year’s race.

Titus said the money would prevent the critical mistake of her failed gubernatorial campaign. “You can’t wait a month after being attacked when you don’t have the resources to go on the air,” she said. “We have the resources now.”

As Emanuel promised Titus, “We got your back.”

The huge ad buy forced the hand of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which reserved about $550,000 in advertising time last month.

Emanuel attacked Porter for voting against education funding — at the behest, he said, of President Bush.

“Time and again he worked lock step with George Bush,” he said, noting that Porter supported the president’s initiatives 93 percent of the time in 2006, according to an annual ranking by the Congressional Quarterly. “All of a sudden he found out he didn’t agree with George Bush. Well, you don’t get to agree with George Bush every other time except when an election time comes.”

Porter spokesman Matt Leffingwell said Emanuel was cherry-picking votes. He noted that Porter supported a $14.5 billion increase in Pell Grant funding in the current Congress. “These are the sort of reckless charges that occur when you employ the most partisan Democrat in Congress to carry out your dirty work,” Leffingwell said.

Both campaigns launched positive TV ads this week.

Discussion: 11 comments so far…

By Educational_Progress

9/4/08 at 7:46 a.m.

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Anyone with common sense would vote for Dina Titus when it comes to education. Dina Titus has been an educator for thirty years; she has experience. She has the leadership needed to move Nevada’s education system in the right direction.
By jfnance32

9/4/08 at 8:21 a.m.

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"Anyone with common sense would vote for Dina Titus when it comes to education. Dina Titus has been an educator for thirty years; she has experience. She has the leadership needed to move Nevada’s education system in the right direction."

She should have ran for governor.

Opps....Ms. Taxus did run for governor.

She will server her master Ms. Pelosi very well.

She is a natural tax raiser.

"Hi, Ms. Pelosi. Want do you want me to do today? I really need that committee assignment. I will do anything for you. Raise taxes? I love raising taxes. Vote no on drilling for new oil and gas. Sure, I really hate that anyway. How high do you want me to jump? Did I do that right Master Pelosi?"
By KDR81

9/4/08 at 9:01 a.m.

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Well, 43 percent of our 4th grade students can't read at grade level...even after we've spent more than $40,000 to educate them. http://npri.org/blog/just-the-facts

Now spending about $10,000 per student in public education, triple the amount since 1960, we see that spending more doesn't work.http://npri.org/blog/moving-on-up

Maybe Titus has the guts to call for education reform, but then again, if she did the union endorsement would go to someone else.
By KDR81

9/4/08 at 9:05 a.m.

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The reasons we have more registered Democrats

1) Bush has destroyed limited government Republicanism and now people think it doesnt work (he gave us crony capitalism and protected markets...the same thing democrats offer

2) Lots of people are migrating from Democratic controlled states like California...where Democratic control has destroyed the economy, eliminated jobs, and helped cause a drastic rise in the cost of living...

In both cases, Democrats benefit from the public not understanding economics.
By UNLVStud

9/4/08 at 10:16 a.m.

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Titus will be a great voice for southern Nevada.

Unlike Porter, Titus has a record of bi-partisan accomplishments. Under Porter/Bush leadership in Congress, we've seen his accomplishments and how they've hurt the majority of Neavadans. After over half a decade in Washington, his leadership has brought us soaring gas prices, a ballooning deficit, a weakened dollar, a credit market that has soured, and the housing market destroyed.

Come election day, the voters of CD3 will hold Porter accountable for our poor economy and will send a true representative back to Congress to represent our interests instead of special interests.

A new direction is needed in Washington, and Titus will bring it.
By jfnance32

9/4/08 at 10:30 a.m.

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Ms. Taxus will do in DC what she has down here which is push, push, push, push, push for higher taxes.

Also, he was a leader in the state senate for a long time.

The state of Nevada is in an excellent shape. LOL......
By MichaelGreen

9/4/08 at 10:31 a.m.

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We have not had an opponent for Porta Jon who has been more knowledgeable about the issues or better able to deal with the lies that he has to tell to cover up his own sorry record. If we are lucky, Dina Titus will be our new representative.
By jfnance32

9/4/08 at 12:05 p.m.

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She will become a Pelosi puppy.
By MichaelGreen

9/4/08 at 12:26 p.m.

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jfnance, anybody who knows Dina Titus knows that she's her own woman, her own person--that she can give a speech of her own without having to lie about herself or her opponent, or just spout Republican talking points (remind you of anyone?). But better a Pelosi puppy than a Bush-McCain lapdog, which is what this congressional district has suffered through for the past six years.
By jfnance32

9/4/08 at 12:30 p.m.

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When she goes up to DC, she is going to have to lick Pelosi's shoes.

Ms. Taxus has been THE LEADER in Nevada for higher taxes.

She will continue that leadership in DC.
By UNLVStud

9/4/08 at 5:27 p.m.

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Anything is better than having Porter go back to Washington to be the lap dog of Bush and Big Oil.