Dina Titus

Andrew Martin has to be floored at the irony.

A recap of the path this has taken:
Martin enters race for CD-3 against Jon Porter as self-funded gadfly. When establishment candidate withdraws, Martin is passed over for someone he won't run against, and switches to challenge Chad Christensen in order to give a green flag to Dina Titus for the clear CD-3 nod. He's a decent candidate against Christensen, but mostly because he can self-fund.

At the last minute, Christensen doesn't file, changing the game completely.

Dina Titus files for the 3rd congressional district. Behind Titus from left are state Sen. Bob Coffin, Tom Wright, and state Sen. Valerie Wiener: Politicker PhotoLAS VEGAS -- Former Nevada Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus filed to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Jon Porter on Tuesday morning in the 3rd congressional district. Speaking to reporters afterward, Titus did not pull her punches on Porter and seemed eager to take him on in the general election.

"This race is not going to be personal," said Titus. "It's going to be about the record, and I believe that my record in Carson City shows that I'm a fighter for the people in this district. I've been representing them for twenty years and that record contrasts, I believe, with my opponent because he seems to have lost his way in Washington and forgotten about the people in District 3."

Rep. Jon Porter files for reelection Monday.: Politicker Photo.LAS VEGAS -- Flanked by family and staff, Republican Rep. Jon Porter filed for reelection to a fourth term this morning and answered reporters' questions about his coming campaign.

Porter is facing what may be his toughest election to date as former Nevada Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus announced a challenge against him earlier in the month. Titus won Porter's district during her 2006 gubernatorial campaign at a time when the district was much more Republican. Today, Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district by almost 23,000 voters.

"Every race is difficult; every race is a challenge," said Porter. "In campaigns, six months is a long time. A lot can happen."

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."

LAS VEGAS-Although she continues to support N.Y. Sen. Hillary Clinton for her party's nomination for president, Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) disagrees with one of Clinton's most publicized policy proposals of recent weeks, the "gas tax holiday."

"I am opposed to the gas tax holiday, having sat on the Transportation Committee and knowing of the infrastructure needs of this country and the condition of our roads," said Berkley.

"In Nevada, we are at least $3.5 billion, possibly $5 billion short of satisfying our current and future infrastructure needs.  To have a gas holiday that will take money out of the highway fund, which designates money for specific highway projects will be very counterproductive."

"As supportive as I am of Sen. Clinton and as much of an admirer as I am of her, I disagreed with that position."

Nevada Senate Minority Leader Dina TitusState Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus is a winner this week, but why are her fellow Senate Democrats losers, along with Ron Paul supporters?

Find out in our weekly Winners and Losers for May 9, 2008.

Outgoing State Senate Minority Leader Dina TitusLAS VEGAS-State Senate Democrats will meet Friday in Las Vegas to discuss selecting a new caucus leader to replace outgoing Nevada Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus. Titus, who last week announced her candidacy for the 3rd Congressional District, has led the Democratic Caucus since 1993.

In the days leading up to the meeting, possible candidates are already working the phones, calling fellow members of the caucus and trying to whip up the needed votes.

"I've had colleagues call me to talk to me," said state Sen. Valerie Wiener Tuesday. Asked who she would support for the leadership role, Wiener said "I have no idea, but I'll see how it unfolds."

After the events of last week, one thing that is for certain is that there is never a dull moment when it comes to Nevada politics. Indeed, last week the state was treated to the spectacle of Republicans acting like Democrats, Democrats acting like, well Democrats, and Gov. Jim Gibbons doing a Bush-like late Friday afternoon, avoid the media document dump.

After taking grief for months for their party's inability to effectively organize and efficiently conduct party business, there must have been plenty of smiles among the state's Democratic brain trust as the normally well-managed Nevada GOP saw its state convention descend into a chaotic mess compliments of the Ron Paul-fueled insurgency.