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Dina Titus lost her run for the state’s 3rd Congressional District by less than 2,000 votes to Joe Heck.
By Karoun Demirjian (contact) 
Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011 | 8:33 p.m.
Ruben Kihuen speaks during his campaign kickoff celebration at Rancho High School in Las Vegas Tuesday, September 27, 2011. Kihuen, who is a state senator, is running for U.S. Congress in 2012.
Sun Coverage
Dina Titus is preparing to announce her congressional bid for Nevada’s first district Thursday, and supporters of Ruben Kihuen are doing everything to try to change her mind.
Hispanic Democrats have been attempting to dissuade Titus from forcing a primary against Kihuen, the young state senator who stands to become Nevada’s first Latino representative, according to Democrats in and outside the state.
According to one Nevada Democratic insider, the list of influential Hispanics trying to talk Titus out of running in the 1st District reaches the national level and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — though their leaders were loath to admit Tuesday that there was any effort afoot to dissuade any Democrat from doing anything.
“The last thing the vice chair of the Democratic caucus wants to do is get involved in races in the primary,” said Rep. Xavier Becerra, a Democrat from California and senior member of the CHC, when asked if he’d been pressuring Titus.
“Have the maps been drawn?” said Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, who is in charge of recruitment for the CHC, and has been one of Kihuen’s biggest national boosters. Lujan did not deny he’d been in touch with Titus in recent days, but he dodged questions about the substance of those conversations.
“Dina’s a friend, Ruben’s a friend, [state Senate Majority Leader Steven] Horsford’s a friend, [Assembly] Speaker [John] Oceguera’s a friend,” Lujan said. “Look, I want to encourage Ruben to get in there and get after this…we’ll see what ultimately happens once ... people decide what districts they’re going to be running in. I think we have to have the best candidates we can in each of those districts to get them into the Congress.”
But Nevada Democrats have been staking claims to districts for a week now.
While proposed redistricting map must still survive a hearing before the Nevada Supreme Court before they can be declared final, it appears the drawing of district boundaries is nearing an end.
Kihuen announced his run in the 1st District – where the majority of the Hispanic community that’s expected to form the base of his support resides – within a day of District Judge James Russell approving the newly drawn state map of congressional and legislative districts.
Horsford volunteered for the newly fashioned 4th District. He’s the much-favored candidate in a match-up with state Sen. John Lee, who will primary against him there.
Though her campaign still refers to her as the “former Congresswoman for Nevada’s 3rd District,” Titus has said since she initially announced she’d run again that she has no intention of challenging Republican Rep. Joe Heck, who scraped past Titus by 1,748 votes to win the seat in 2010.
Oceguera is the only Democrat who has more or less volunteered to face Heck but party operatives say with the proper national political and financial backing, Titus has more of a fighting chance against her former rival.
But even with such pressure coming from influential national Democrats, she’s showing no signs of backing down prior to her announcement Thursday.
Though she is one of the more moderate Democrats of those in her party running for Congress, Titus has said she would prefer to represent a more Democratic district. The 1st District is also the safest for a Democratic incumbent: The party stronghold has sustained Rep. Shelley Berkley, now making a run for the U.S. Senate, for 13 years.
Kihuen’s supporters are still confident that they can best Titus in a primary match-up, even though she’s logged more years in the regional spotlight as a congresswoman and before that, the state Senate’s minority leader.
But Nevada’s closed party primary system could make that tricky. Kihuen draws strong bipartisan support from a populous Hispanic base, but Titus has a history of followers among registered Democrats — who are the only ones that can vote in a primary election.
Democratic operatives are concerned about what a Titus victory could mean for their base beyond this race.
In 2008 and 2010, Titus enjoyed more support among Hispanic voters than her Republican rivals — a key constituency whose turnout has been credited with helping Democrats win races around and the West.
But if a Kihuen loss puts out that constituency, they could stay at home just when candidates like Berkley and President Barack Obama desperately need their support statewide.
Berkley is currently polling neck-and-neck with incumbent Sen. Dean Heller, who has been in the Senate since May, when he was appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval to finish out the rest of John Ensign’s term.
Obama won Nevada by 12.5 points during the 2008 election, but is expected to have a harder slog — especially if Mitt Romney is the Republican nominee — in 2012.
Well, she sounds like Gomer Pyle, and was useless last time. I'm a Democrat, but I hope she loses again. Just another pol sucking off the public teat. Bye, Dina.....
I don't know Mr. Kihuen, but Dina Titus is a proven legislator who helped to pass significant pieces of legislation as majority leader in the State Senate. On numerous occasions she showed the will, ability and courage to stand up to the opposition and to pull together the votes to get bills to the floor and passed through both houses. We will really benefit as a state in having someone of her experience, intelligence and caliber in the U.S. Congress again.
Look, pressing Titus not to run so a particular candidate of persive group can have a better chance of winning is not new. The problem as most insiders see it,---Ruben Kihuen has no substance as a power broker of mover of issues in getting anything done. He's a talking, not a doer!
Having the first Latino representing Nevada in congress is great if the Latino has a tract record of getting things done. Just being Latino in congress without the skills or tools to work the halls of congress does nothing for Nevada.
I look forward to witnessing the young up-and-comer retire the old-has-been once and for all. Ruben has represented me in the State Assembly and the State Senate for the past 6 years and I am proud to call him my representative. Not only will I vote for Ruben but I will also canvass and make phone calls on his behalf. Out with the old... in with the new.
The math is very simple:
RUBEN KIHUEN: Will energize Hispanics, will get elected and become the rising star of the powerful Congressional Hispanic Caucus (and Latinos nationwide), helps Shelley Berkley get elected to the U.S. Senate and President Obama win Nevada (and possibly re-election).
DINA TITUS brings absolutely NO VALUE to anyone but her ego and self-serving ambitions. Nevada voters have rejected her TWICE before and will do so once again if she runs in CD1.
Dina, CD3 is where you belong. And as a matter of fact, Ruben's energized base will carry you to victory in CD3. You're a smart woman, make the right decision.
Titus should run in CD3 and remove Joe Heck from office. She has a better chance of beating Heck, then John Oceguera does.
Titus only lost by 2000 votes, and Joe Heck only won because of the Tea Party hysteria that swept him and others into office in 2010.
Heck and his party have yet to create one piece of legislation that would help create jobs here in Nevada or anywhere else.
Let's go Titus. It should be easy for the Latinos
to pledge the necessary support to put down Joe Heck.
Dina won't have all those young energized Hispanic volunteers that she had in the last election . These young people will be there for her if she picks any other candidate to run against . Running against Ruben is a big big huge mistake . The Hispanic community will give her about as much support as they did Sharon Angle if she utters one negative word against Ruben .
I supported Dina in the last election, but won't do so this time. She was a huge disappointment and her decision to join the "Blue Dog" group is reflective of that fact. The 1st Congressional district is made up of many Latinos, but is also made up of many progressives, liberals and people who want Congress to work for the people, rather than mega-corporations. Dina proved that she is far too conservative to represent our interests.
Joe Heck?
Who is he? Never heard anything about him.
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Hasn't Titus heard, the hispanics want to elect "one of our own". Got to love when the practioners of race-baiting politics, that would be Democrats, especially white Democrats, get bit on the butt by it. What does Godfather Harry have to say about all this?
Adios Dina!
Dina Titus, with her extensive political experience is better suited to serve District 1.
Ruben is a good guy, but has little experience at the State level - he needs more time with his current seat to show District 1 that he is ready for U.S. House.
Dina Titus has extensive experience in Nevada. While a professor of Political Science at UNLV, where she taught for over 30 years, she authored two books on nuclear policy. With a strong background in nuclear policy, she was a leading critic of the Yucca Mountain project which would have made Nevada the dumping ground for America's nuclear waste.
These efforts yielded positive results as the project appears to have been derailed due to the continuous opposition by the likes of people like Dina Titus.
Dina has always been a solid and strong advocate for Nevada. She has served in the Nevada Legislature for over 20 years.
The experience that Dina brings to the table is unquestionable.
Promoting someone merely on the basis of ethnicity is simply wrong and downright offensive.
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It's not about the primary, it's about the general. Titus lost to Jim Gibbons for Governor and to Joe Heck for CD3. It's obvious that general support for her is low.
Kihuen is the better general election candidate.
@UNLV702
The reasons you mention are exactly the reasons why I am not supporting Dina Titus. The simple truth is that she's a career politician. She is the reason why our country is headed in the wrong direction. She served in Congress and had her chance to prove herself but she failed Nevada and our country. Nevada needs new fresh leadership not more of the same.
This "career politician" is pure hogwash. You honestly believe inexperience trumps experience?
Nonsense.
The experience that Dina and others brought to the table in fighting against the Yucca Mountain project was essential in scrapping the program.
You wont have those results from inexperience. Like Freddy said - You shouldn't be elected to office on the basis of your ethnicity - you need to be elected on the basis of your qualifications.
Sure, it would be nice to have a Latino representing a Latino community - but ethnicity alone should NEVER EVER!! be the sole criteria.
Ruben is a strong Progressive candidate. He just needs more experience under his belt. Promoting someone on the basis of ethnicity alone is dangerous and I imagine even Ruben finds it offensive that people are promoting him on the basis of his ethnicity alone.
If anything, people should stop with the ethnic criteria and instead focus on his roots in the community, some experience serving in the NV Legislature and, more importantly, argue strategically - that Dina has a better chance of defeating Heck in CD3 than CD1.
Instead, what do we get? Ignorant commentary focused on ethnicity alone. And why go after Dina Titus - she has served Nevada well and has fought hard for the interest of our community.
Both Dina and Ruben are strong Progressive candidates that deserve Progressive support. If she decides to run in CD1 - the focus should be on who will better serve Nevada.
2012 will be a clean sweep for the Republicans in Nevada.
Headline "Old, worn out, has-been running again". For a minute there I thought we were talking about Jillo Derby. Are the dummocrats COMPLETELY out of new blood? Are retreads REALLY the best they can do?!? It would be nice to see some options instead of Emperor Harry's chosen few....
This is news? In other news, John Lee supporters want Steven Horsford not to run in District 4.