Allison Copening

LAS VEGAS - Gov. Jim Gibbons' announcement today that he will issue an executive order for a special session of the state legislature next week is a warning to incumbent legislators to get their contributions in quick, the spigot's shutting off.

State law prohibits the governor, lieutenant governor and state legislators from either asking for or receiving political contributions for 15 days before, during or after a special session.  That prohibition will not take effect, however, until the day after the governor signs the executive order.

Gibbons said the session will begin Jun. 23 and will last no more than five days, meaning that it may be as late as mid-July before legislators can begin to fundraise again.

This year ended with more of a bang than a whimper. Joseph Cooper has the races to watch here.

Getting a freebie this year are Democrat Valerie Wiener, and Republicans Dean Rhoads and Mike McGinness. All have safe seats.

In CD-1, Shelley Berkley may just pull this one off. With a spare 60,000 voter registration advantage you would think that she is safe, but the race still managed to attract seven GOP opponents. Seven. Must be the huge Republican surge that we're seeing nationwide that makes these guys think they have a chance with those odds.

Newly elected Nevada Senate Minority Leader Steven Horsford speaks to volunteers at a voter registration drive Saturday: Politicker PhotoLAS VEGAS -- When Nevada Senate Democrats wrapped up their four-hour meeting Friday night, they had selected a new leader and created the outlines of a plan to take over the majority. The only things they lacked were specifics.

"Our caucus spent a lot of time last night talking about how we were going to work as a team to take the majority in November," said state Sen. Steven Horsford (D-Las Vegas), the newly elected Democratic leader, Saturday.

"Our first goal is to win in November, so that's what we're focused on. Once we get beyond winning, we'll start looking into how we will govern in 2009."

We've seen the domino effect that the Titus last-minute jump to fill the Daskas vacancy has caused.  David Parks enters the race immediately, with a hand-picked replacement for his own seat.

On the surface, the Dems seem to have this one under control.  But sources who play both sides (and even some in their own camp) admit that appearances are deceiving in this instance.

Copening launches state senate bid.: Allison Copening, flanked by state Sens. Valerie Wiener, Maggie Carlton and Dina Titus and Clark County Democratic Chairman John Hunt, announces her campaign for Senate District 6.LAS VEGAS-With Democrats' hopes for a state senate majority resting squarely on her shoulders, Allison Copening, a 43-year-old former spokesperson for the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, officially announced her campaign to unseat Republican state Sen. Bob Beers in Senate District 6 Saturday. 

Copening, surrounded by family, friends and members of the Democratic Caucus, refrained from taking shots at Beers in brief remarks, leaving that to Nevada Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus.

"If you think about the people who are out there in office, when you think of the ones who represent, kind of, the worst that there is, the most negative attitude, the most ‘my way or no way,' the most ‘I won't listen to the people of Nevada,' the most ‘let's turn back the clock,' who do you think of?" Titus asked.

LAS VEGAS—Although filing day is still five weeks away, the dirty tricks have already begun in the Democratic-targeted 6th Senate District, home to incumbent Republican state Sen. Bob Beers. 

Allison Copening, the Democrat who recently left her post as spokesperson for the Las Vegas Valley Water District in order to challenge Beers, is the subject of a Web site, allisoncopening.info, which purports to be supportive of her candidacy, but is filled with thinly-veiled mockery and sarcasm.

In the words of Harry Reid, "There's help, and there's help."    read more »

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told PolitickerNV.com’s Joseph Cooper that he’ll “help” Allison Copening unseat GOP State Sen. Bob Beers this year. Both parties will be watching how much time and financial resources Reid, the powerful Washington insider who has been struggling to win the approval of voters in Nevada, dedicates to his home state. How much money will he raise for Jill Derby, Robert Daskas and Democratic legislative candidates? How much time in October will he spend in Nevada stumping for his local ticket?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks during a meeting of the Paradise Democratic ClubLas Vegas- Taking advantage of a legislative break, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made a rare public appearance in Las Vegas Wednesday, speaking before a meeting of the Paradise Democratic Club.

Reid’s appearance coincided with the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War and he spoke to the costs of that conflict, connecting the toll in blood and treasure to the gloomy outlook facing the American economy.

“Today is the beginning of the sixth year of the war in Iraq,” said Reid.  “A war that began with the worst foreign policy blunder in the history of our country… has now taken almost four thousand American lives, wounded tens of thousands.  A third of them are wounded very badly.  We have more than three thousand that are double amputees, we have blindness, we have paralysis.  Hearing loss of course is significant and the brain injuries are going to be around for generations to come.”   

Gov. Jim Gibbons takes the stage at the 2008 Clark County Republican ConventionLas Vegas- In contrast to the debacle that greeted Clark County Democrats with their Feb. 23 convention, the Clark County GOP hosted a convention today that was long on organization and shows of Republican unity and decidedly short of drama.

With Ariz. Sen. John McCain already the presumptive Republican nominee, seemingly the only task for the Clark County Republicans who turned out in record numbers at the Orleans Hotel and Casino today was to get excited about him, a task made easier by the slew of senior Republican officials offering their full-throated, if begrudging, support.

"I'll be the first to say," said Congressman Dean Heller as he addressed the convention in the early afternoon, "that John McCain was not my first choice.  But he is my first choice today."