Titus skips Senate race, will run for re-election to Congress

WASHINGTON — Las Vegas Democrat Dina Titus announced Wednesday that she will forgo a Senate race and instead seek re-election to Nevada’s 1st congressional district.

Titus, who is serving her fourth term in Congress, cited her seniority in the House and position on committees as a reason for seeking re-election in the Democrat majority district.

“After careful consideration, I have decided that I can better serve the people of Nevada as dean of the House delegation than as a freshman senator, so I will be running for re-election in District 1,” Titus said in a statement.

“I thank all of you who have encouraged and advised me in this effort and humbly ask for your continued support in November 2018,” she said.

Titus was exploring a run for the Senate seat currently held by Republican Dean Heller of Smith Valley, considered one of the most vulnerable GOP lawmakers in the 2018 election.

Heller is facing a GOP primary challenge by Las Vegas lawyer Danny Tarkanian.

Several Democrats have announced their intention to seek the Senate seat, including freshman Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., whose 3rd Congressional District includes Henderson and portions of Las Vegas.

Rosen announced her intention to seek the Senate seat earlier this year with the blessing of former Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who was instrumental in building a political machine that is credited for Democratic gains in Nevada in 2016.

Reid’s backing, and endorsements by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Emily’s List and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., were seen as an obstacle to a Senate bid by Titus.

A former UNLV professor who served 20 years in the state Senate, Titus won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2006, but lost in the general election to Republican Jim Gibbons.

Titus was first elected to the U.S. House in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District in 2008. She was defeated two years later by Republican Joe Heck.

Titus was elected in 2012 to serve in the 1st Congressional District. She was re-elected in 2014 with 57 percent of the vote, and again in 2016 with 62 percent of the vote in the Democrat-majority district.

As a member of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, Titus advises party leaders on policy and committee assignments for new Democratic members in the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest Region, which includes Nevada.

She also serves on the House Foreign Relations Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Contact Gary Martin at 202-662-7390 or gmartin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.