Despite rejections from some high-profile recruits in Rep. Joe Heck's district, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent a couple of representatives to Las Vegas this week to try to find a candidate. This comes after ex-Secretary of State Ross Miller, state Senate Minority Leader Aaron Ford, ex-water czar Pat Mulroy and community leader Hetaher Murren (among others) all rejected entreaties.
But DCCC reps Ty Matsdorf and Kelly Ward, the top staffers at the DCCC, were in Southern Nevada to talk to key insiders and indicate the group has not surrendered. Indeed, it can't.
Heck's district, where Establishment favorite Michael Roberson faces a contested GOP primary, is one of only six open GOP seats in the country. The other five have candidates.
I have heard some of the names the DCCC is interested in, all of whom are potentially viable. But tempus fugit.
The organization cann't afford to just walk away, though, and not just because a cipher in CD3 could hurt the Democrats from top (Hillary Clinton, Catherine Cortez Masto) to bottom (legislative races). Here's why:
►Registration essentially is even.
►President Obama won the district with 54.5 percent in 2008 and 50.4 oercent in 2012; Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid won the district in '10 with 50.9 percent.
►The voting age population in CD3 is 35.6 percent minority: 13.8 percentLatino, 12 percentAsian and 6 percent African American.
The basic ingredients are there. And Roberson will have to spend money (come on in, Michele Fiore, the water is fine) to win that primary.
But only one Democrat has ever held CD3 since it was created in 2001 -- Dina Titus. So the DCCC has quite the sales job on its hands, but one that I believe will result in a candidate who will have a chance but one who better get in pretty soon.
Despite rejections from some high-profile recruits in Rep. Joe Heck's district, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent a couple of representatives to Las Vegas this week to try to find a candidate. This comes after ex-Secretary of State Ross Miller, state Senate Minority Leader Aaron Ford, ex-water czar Pat Mulroy and community leader Hetaher Murren (among others) all rejected entreaties.
But DCCC reps Ty Matsdorf and Kelly Ward, the top staffers at the DCCC, were in Southern Nevada to talk to key insiders and indicate the group has not surrendered. Indeed, it can't.
Heck's district, where Establishment favorite Michael Roberson faces a contested GOP primary, is one of only six open GOP seats in the country. The other five have candidates.
I have heard some of the names the DCCC is interested in, all of whom are potentially viable. But tempus fugit.
The organization cann't afford to just walk away, though, and not just because a cipher in CD3 could hurt the Democrats from top (Hillary Clinton, Catherine Cortez Masto) to bottom (legislative races). Here's why:
►Registration essentially is even.
►President Obama won the district with 54.5 percent in 2008 and 50.4 oercent in 2012; Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid won the district in '10 with 50.9 percent.
►The voting age population in CD3 is 35.6 percent minority: 13.8 percentLatino, 12 percentAsian and 6 percent African American.
The basic ingredients are there. And Roberson will have to spend money (come on in, Michele Fiore, the water is fine) to win that primary.
But only one Democrat has ever held CD3 since it was created in 2001 -- Dina Titus. So the DCCC has quite the sales job on its hands, but one that I believe will result in a candidate who will have a chance but one who better get in pretty soon.
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