State Sen. Dina Titus has said she might run for the 3rd Congressional District seat. Photo by K.M. Cannon.

It has been four months since Jon Porter was elected to a third term in the House of Representatives -- clearly, past time to start thinking about who the Nevada Republican's next opponent will be.

State Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus was an early name in the ring, saying shortly after she lost the gubernatorial race that running for the 3rd Congressional District was one of many options she was considering.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is feeling out other potential names for the suburban Las Vegas district, which is growing fast and has as many voters registered as Democrats as it does Republicans.

Henderson Police Chief Richard Perkins, the former speaker of the Assembly, and Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid, the son of the U.S. Senate majority leader, acknowledged recently that they have been approached about running for the seat.

"I'm thinking about it. I haven't made any decision," said Reid, who is also serving as the state chairman of Hillary Clinton's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Reid said he has heard that Titus, Perkins and Tessa Hafen, who narrowly lost to Porter in November, all were considering running for the seat. "I think we'll decide together what's best for the party," he said.

Perkins was similarly ambivalent. "I'm not ruling it out," he said. "It's something I've been aware of since we drew the lines."

The Legislature created the district when Nevada got an additional seat in Congress after the 2000 census. Porter, formerly a state senator, has held it since it was first up for election in 2002.

COUNCIL SEAT

In the crowded race to replace Las Vegas City Councilman Lawrence Weekly, Ricki Barlow has secured key endorsements.

Barlow last week received the endorsements of the Las Vegas Police Management and Supervisors Association and the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, which represents police officers and corrections workers.

"The endorsement agrees with residents I've talked to, that I'm the individual to lead the charge against crime," Barlow said.

He pointed to work he has done as Weekly's liaison with Las Vegas police area commands and the community on crime issues.

Polling by a number of candidates in Ward 5 shows that crime is the No. 1 issue for voters, far outpacing the No. 2 issue: growth and traffic.

There are 10 candidates running for the seat in the April 3 election.

Barlow also can claim the support of Weekly and the Culinary union endorsement.

ONLINE RESULTS

Which Democratic candidate came off the best in the first-in-the-nation forum held in Carson City last month? There's no scientific evidence, but there is a very unscientific poll.

The anonymous blogger who runs Dullard Mush, a Nevada political site, asked his readers in a survey that ended Thursday. With twice the votes of any other candidate, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd was the winner.

Dodd had 46 percent of the vote, while Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich came in second with 23 percent. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was third with 9 percent; "no candidate" was fourth.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who did not attend the event, received as many votes as former vice presidential nominee John Edwards, perhaps indicating that some voters would prefer their politicians not say a word.

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who dropped out of the presidential race a few days after the forum, got no votes; Hillary Clinton, the senator from New York, received 1 percent, perhaps a reflection of the low esteem in which the presumed front-runner is generally held in the blogosphere or a reflection of the fact that Clinton forgot to give a closing statement at the event.

Clinton and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden both drew less support among the 86 poll voters than long-shot candidate Mike Gravel, the former Alaska senator whose last name rhymes with that of singer Patti LaBelle.

Contact political reporter Molly Ball at 387-2919 or MBall@reviewjournal.com.