Dina Titus Shakes up Nevada Congressional Race

Many moons ago when I was a young High School kid in Las Vegas wanting to conquer the world, I embarked on a quest of enlightenment from many of the nation's most prestigious universities. My plan was to attend as many summer programs and seminars available so that I could learn as much information as possible. I know what you are thinking, and so I will confirm that I was an absolute nerd in High School. However, I quickly realized that a poor kid from the inner-city could not afford such luxuries, so I settled on a much more modest approach of attending at least one program each summer. This more modest approach also incurred significant costs, and so I began seeking help.

One day I received a letter from a State Senator who had heard of my ambitions and wanted to help. She requested me to contact her so that we can explore this further. That, my friends, was the beginning a long friendship with State Senator Dina Titus. Not only did she help me raise money for my summer programs, she also mentored me and demanded that I succeed in these programs. Over the years I have learned so much from her about politics, policy and life. I have the utmost respect and loyalty for her, and admire her passion to fight for her beliefs and her country.

Yesterday, she decided to announce that she will be challenging Congressman Jon Porter for the third congressional district in Nevada, and I couldn't contain my excitement. You see, we here in Nevada suffer from an abundance of incompetent politicians that continuously make living in this great state hard to do. While our Governor may be the poster boy for incompetence, Congressman Porter is a close alternate. Our community desperately needs to shed itself of these two politicians. Jon Porter is one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the country, and so this will be one of the most competitive elections for Congress in the country. Dina is also one of the fiercest campaigners and will make this race exciting to watch.

On another note, during my days at the Nevada State Democratic Party we often made the case that as Nevada goes so goes the nation. I still firmly believe this, and yes this is a fair and balanced opinion from a Nevadan. Dina's announcement attracted a sizable crowd even with only a 24 hours notice, which just further demonstrates the excitement among Democrats in Nevada. Just as important is that Dina brought various factions of the Democratic family together, SEIU and AFSCME, Obama supporters and Clinton supporters, and Millennials and Seniors. State Senator Steve Horsford summed it nicely when he alluded that we may have many voices in the Democratic Party but "We are one family." Many pundits are still questioning whether Democrats will be able to unite in the General election to defeat McCain. The campaign for the Democratic nominee has remained extremely competitive in Nevada, and yet yesterday's showing provided evidence that above all else, Democrats are committed to retaking the White House and defeating Republicans. Let's see if the saying stays true "As Nevada goes so goes the nation."

You can read more about Dina's announcement here and here.