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By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012 | 9:31 a.m.
State Sen. Steven Horsford is going up on air with the first television ad in his bid for Congress—a powerful spot that tells of his difficult upbringing in urban Las Vegas.
“I grew up on these streets,” Horsford says as he drives through the West Las Vegas neighborhood in which he grew up.
“Right here is where we lived,” he says, pointing to a small mustard-colored corner house.
“And, there, that’s where my dad was shot and killed,” he says, driving past a non-descript strip mall. “I drive by it every day on my way to work.”
The story of Horsford’s upbringing has been well told throughout his political career, informing much of his work during his two terms at the Nevada Legislature. That personal story sometimes moved him to tears in committee meetings or on the floor of the Legislature as lawmakers debated education and other policy.
But it’s the first time he’s used his personal narrative in a television ad.
Horsford’s father was killed when he was 19. Horsford interrupted his college education to care for his younger siblings while his mom struggled with a drug addiction.
He’s now a father of three.
“My family now grounds me in what’s really important,” Horsford says in the ad. “So, when politicians say we can’t fix the mortgage mess, our economy and our schools, that Nevadans have to live with less, well, I say no way.
“We’re gonna fight for our future and I’m not going to back down.”
Horsford, a Democrat, is competing against Republican Danny Tarkanian for Nevada’s newest congressional district, which stretches from North Las Vegas through the southern half of the state’s rural counties.
Like who really cares.I started with zero and made something for myself with sheer hard work. This is true of a lot of people. No entitlements back in the 1960's.
Hard life is a good read about Steve but does that qualify him for Congress
No it doesn't
So, let's pick the people who have had the hardest lives and let them run the country.
Great idea there, Horsford.
No way he'll get my vote. He's a horrible state Senator who is part of the problem.
Also, what candidate uses his dad's death in an attempt to get a sympathy vote? I guess Horsford does.
That is sad on so many levels.
Comment removed by moderator. Name Calling
Yep, he's had a difficult time. Let's not forget how he was horribly persecuted for doing "nothing wrong" (like illegally using handicapped parking places or claiming to have earned a college degree that he never completed)
http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/elsewhe...
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/mar...
I'm predisposed these days to support Democrats, but not this one. I've seen his arrogance on display too many times at the legislature. ALL elected-officials have egos to feed or they wouldn't be in the business, but Steven's is ridiculously large. It's gets in the way of his being a good representative.
We saw it when he frequently parked in handicapped spaces around town a few years back. I saw on display in Carson City one night at a popular eatery that was full, when he loudly announced to the greeter, "don't you know who I am?" And anyone who spends time at the legislature knows he spends far more time talking (preaching) than listening.
I do admire his "struggle" and commend him for working hard in the face of adverse circumstances to make a quality life for himself and his family. I also admire his determination to "make a difference". He's a bright, energetic and intelligent individual, who in my opinion, is just too full of himself right now to be an effective representative in Washington.
The saddest part of every single comment I'm seeing be made on this article is that each and EVERY one could be turned around and applied to Horsford's opponent Tarkanian and it could stick like super glue. In fact, most of them are barely more than glossed over deflections showing the guilt the writers feel about their own personal flaws.