Dean Heller

Democratic congressional candidate Dina Titus will skip the party's national convention in Denver next week, The Las Vegas Review Journal is reporting.

Titus (D-Henderson) will join her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Jon Porter (R-Henderson) and stay in the 3rd Congressional District during their respective conventions, spokesman Andrew Stoddard told the paper.

Titus ""is going to stay in the district. She decided she could get a lot done here," Stoddard told the LVRJ.

Porter and Titus held the first debate of a hotly contested campaign Monday night in Henderson. Polls show the Democratic challenger is giving the incumbent a run for his money, and Democratic leaders believe the seat is ripe for the taking.

Elsewhere in Nevada, 2nd District Democrat Jill Derby will travel to Denver for the convention, but not without drawing criticism from the GOP, which issued a press release saying Derby was only going to the convention to cozy up to the Washington crowd.

Congressional Quarterly  is changing its forecasts on two competitive U.S. House races in Nevada, and in both cases, there is good news for the Democrats.

CQ announced Wednesday it was shifting the 2nd Congressional District race between U.S. Rep. Dean Heller (R-Carson City) and Democrat Jill Derby from "Republican" to "Leans Republican," acknowledging the race is closer than previously thought.

The forecast looks even better for state Sen. Dina Titus (D-Henderson) in the 3rd Congressional District, the publication said. CQ switched Titus' race with incumbent U.S. Rep. Jon Porter (R-Henderson) from "Leans Republican" to its most competitive category: "No clear favorite."

If you aren't lazy, find real numbers at the Clark County website, the Washoe County website, and the Secretary of State's website.

Primary condensed soup for the lazy:

Congressional candidate Jill Derby: Campaign Photo Democratic congressional candidate Jill Derby released a detailed energy plan Wednesday, with recommendations for reducing fuel demand, expanding renewable energy sources and expanded drilling in areas with "low environmental risk."

Derby said the nation must commit to a "Apollo-Project style investment" in renewable energy technology, specifically mentioning solar and geothermal energy as viable options.

Derby also advocated limited on-shore and off-shore oil drilling to meet demand until renewable sources become more readily available, though she stipulated drilling should only be conducted in areas that can sustain it without serious environmental damage.

Tuesday’s primary races for the U.S. House went as expected, with the favored candidates nabbing their party’s nominations and heading towards the general election.

In the 2nd Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Dean Heller (R-Carson City) and state university regent Jill Derby are headed to a rematch of their 2006 race. Heller led Ron Paul campaign activist James Smack by an 89 percent to 11 percent margin with 13.3 percent of the precincts reporting. Derby was uncontested in her primary.

“This marks the point at which this race really swings into high gear.  It’s an exciting time and we have growing momentum for our campaign here in the 2nd district,” Derby said in an email message this evening. “I have had a number of significant endorsements in recent weeks and we look forward to a race where we can address the big problems facing Nevada families.”

Democratic congressional candidate Dina Titus with U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen at a gas station campaign stop in May.: Politicker PhotoAs election season heats up, candidates are moving into full pander mode. Thus far gas prices top the list of issues that are causing politicians of all stripes to abandon prior positions, disregard basic economic theory, and promise voters the impossible. This is not surprising given poll data indicating that voters' worries about the costs of filling up their tanks is a top concern as we move towards November.

Nonetheless, for rational-minded observers who might prefer that candidates not insult the intelligence of voters and instead present policy proposals that might actually do something to change the nation's energy policy (as opposed to offering cheap rhetoric with a shelf life lasting until, oh I don't know, right around Nov. 4), I find the whole situation nauseating. So in the spirit of the Olympics (which incidentally are occurring in China; the county whose increased demand for oil is a big factor for rising gas prices in the U.S.), I thought it would be appropriate to award medals to Nevada's best gas price panderers.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal ran a profile Monday on the ongoing Republican "shadow session" in Congress, focusing on the involvement of a pair of Nevada legislators.

Congressional Republicans, including U.S. Reps. Jon Porter (R-Henderson) and Dean Heller (R-Carson City) are in Washington despite the August recess, and both spoke last week in protest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's refusal to take a vote on a bill to expand off-shore oil drilling.

The Review-Journal featured Porter's and Heller's remarks, and gauged the reaction back home on the two lawmakers' presence at a darkened Capitol.

 The pro-choice political group EMILY's List announced Thursday it was endorsing Democrat Jill Derby in her bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Dean Heller (R-Carson City) in Nevada's 2nd Congressional District.

The group, which advocates for pro-choice Democratic women seeking office, called Derby a stronger candidate than she was during her failed run for the 2nd district seat in 2006.

"Jill Derby has her pulse on the issues that are most important to families in Nevada and will use her voice in Washington to bring real change to the second district," EMILY's List President Ellen Malcolm said in a statement released with the endorsement. 

Despite her campaign being worse off than during the last election cycle, the DCCC chose Jill Derby for their latest round of targeted "Red to Blue" districts.

The Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Dean Heller (R-Carson City) had $353,000 cash on hand as of the July 15 filing, but that's considerably less than the nearly $514,000 she had on hand at this point in her 2006 challenge.

Can Jill Derby beat U.S. Rep. Dean Heller (R-Carson City)?  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee seems to think so with their addition of Derby to the "Red to Blue" program for targeted congressional districts.

With almost a 7 to 1 fundraising advantage, the DCCC now has the luxury of targeting races where they traditionally have no chance, such as the Heller seat.