Titus to skip Senate race, run again for U.S. House

WASHINGTON — Rep. Dina Titus said Tuesday she plans to run for re-election next year, choosing not to gamble a safe House seat against a campaign for U.S. Senate in Nevada.

The decision clears the field so far among Democrats for former Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, who declared her candidacy shortly after Sen. Harry Reid announced in March he was retiring at the end of his term.

Reid embraced Cortez Masto as his chosen successor. But while leading Democrats and allied groups such as Emily’s List lined up behind Cortez Masto in recent weeks, Titus declined to rule out a possible candidacy.

Finally, in a video that featured testimonials from constituents singing her effectiveness, Titus said Nevada has been making a comeback since being hit by the Great Recession, but “there’s still a lot of work to do” on the economy, immigration reform, equal rights, infrastructure, Social Security protection and veterans assistance.

“That’s why I am running … for re-election to Nevada’s First District,” she announced.

“I just think I can do more by staying in the House,” Titus said in an interview. “I think I’ve got some pretty good legislation there. I’ve built up some seniority. If I move to the Senate I’d have to start all over as a freshman and who knows what kind of committees I’d be on. That was a big part of my decision.

Titus calculated a run for Senate would have cost between $12 million and $15 million, diverting substantial amounts of her time into fundraising. “I knew if I decided to run that would be what I would have to do,” she said.

“I’ve made my decision,” Titus said. “I think I’ve made it wisely. I made it with my head, not my heart, and I’m moving forward.”

“Another part of the decision is that this also gives me a lot more time and flexibility to help Hillary (Clinton) get elected to the White Hose and I am really anxious to do that,” she added.

Titus was a Las Vegas state senator for 20 years before being elected to Congress in 2008 to represent the suburban Las Vegas 3rd Congressional District. She lost the seat to Rep. Joe Heck in 2010 but returned to represent the 1st Congressional District in 2012.

Early polling suggested Titus would be competitive in a 2016 Senate race. Her decision to remain in the House avoids a potentially messy Democratic primary that Republicans were hoping for and Democrats were hoping to avoid.

Reid applauded Titus’s decision.

“Dina Titus has done a remarkable job representing Nevada in the House of Representatives and I know she will continue to do so for a long time,” he said in a statement.

“Representing the first district, Dina will be able to gain crucial seniority on committees and ensure our small state has a voice on issues affecting us,” Reid said. “She will continue the work she has done for decades: fiercely fighting for Nevada.”

While Cortez Masto remains alone as a Democratic candidate, the Republican field has not yet formed. Gov. Brian Sandoval has yet to say whether he plans to run but Republicans say they have received signals he is not interested.

Heck is being heavily recruited in the meantime by the national Republican Party and is considering becoming a candidate.

If Titus had decided to run for Senate, she would have given up a politically safe House seat. Democrats hold a 2-to-1 edge in voter registration in the 1st Congressional District composed of the city of Las Vegas and areas surrounding the Strip.

Titus, a state senator before joining Congress, ran statewide for governor in 2006. She lost to Republican Jim Gibbons, 48 percent to 44 percent.

Democrats expect more than one Republican will run for the Senate in Nevada, said Justin Barasky, communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

“As we’ve said before, we are strongly supporting Catherine Cortez Masto and her record of fighting to protect Nevadans will contrast nicely with the coming GOP primary race to the right,” Barasky said.

Jahan Wilcox, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Titus “will be kicking herself” for passing up the race after early polls showed her leading Masto by double digits.

Contact Review-Journal Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@reviewjournal.com or 202-783-1760. Find him on Twitter: @STetreaultDC.