Steven Horsford

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."

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."

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.

LAS VEGAS-The Pennsylvania Primary, hailed for seven weeks as a make-or-break contest in the ongoing Democratic nomination process, appears to have changed little, either nationally or here in Nevada.

With N.Y. Sen. Hillary Clinton lagging in pledged delegates, many analysts believe the only way she can secure the Democratic nomination is to convince superdelegates that Ill. Sen. Barack Obama is unelectable.  Her win in Pennsylvania, although it may have produced a net gain of 12 pledged delegates, does not appeare to have changed any Nevada superdelegates' minds, however.

Obama volunteers phone-banking Clark County delegates for the Apr. 12 re-voteLAS VEGAS-Saturday, elected delegates from the Clark County Democrats' Jan. 19 precinct caucuses will descend on the Thomas and Mack Center at UNLV to cast make-up votes from their unsuccessful Feb. 23 convention. As the date approaches, both remaining Democratic presidential campaigns are working feverishly to turn out their delegates and hopefully improve on their positions heading into the state convention May 17-18.

Since the new county voting plan was announced Mar. 5, the campaigns of both N.Y. Sen. Hillary Clinton and Ill. Sen. Barack Obama, with the help of state and county party staff, have identified their full complements of delegates for the re-vote and mailed delegates their credentials. Now, the campaigns are relying on telephone and e-mail contacts for a GOTD (get-out-the-delegates) effort to get their people to the Apr. 12 poll.

"We're just whipping our delegates," said Clinton state and Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid today. "It's a pretty small universe relative to what we had to deal with prior to Jan. 19. We're just encouraging them to come to the convention on the 12th and vote for Hillary."

Democratic leaders announce new county delegate plan.: From left: Commissioner Rory Reid, convention chair Bill Stanley, former state Sen. Terry Care, county chair John Hunt, state Sen. Steven Horsford, state chair Sam LiebermanLas Vegas- Democratic Party leaders hosted a press conference this afternoon at the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of UNLV to outline their new plan to elect Clark County delegates for their party’s state convention May 17-18. Chairman John Hunt kicked off the press conference with a solemn mea culpa for the chaos Clark County Democrats experienced at the aborted Feb. 23 county convention.

“The turnout was unprecedented,” said Hunt, “ten times more than any county convention has ever held in Clark. I want to apologize to all Democrats who were inconvenienced or frustrated.”

Hunt outlined the negotiations that had taken place over the last week among the Clark County Party, the Nevada Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee and its Delegate Selection Committee and the two remaining Democratic campaigns to reach a plan for what he called “a fair and equitable election so that we can seat our delegates at the state convention in Reno.”

The Bally's ballroom, site of the 2008 Clark County Democratic ConvetionLas Vegas- “Clown shoes” was how one delegate to the Clark County Democratic Convention described the scene Saturday, echoing the thoughts and words of many in the packed-beyond-overflow ballroom of Bally’s Hotel and Casino.

Trouble started before the convention even began as thousands of people waited in line for hours to be granted entrance to the ballroom.  The capacity of the room was only 5,000, according to a Bally’s spokesperson, but more than 7,400 delegates had been elected from the precinct caucuses last month, not counting alternates.  A fire marshal threatened to shut the event down only minutes after it officially began and when the doors were shut to all comers, hundreds of people still remained outside.