Former Nevada Democratic Rep. Dina Titus is “seriously considering” another run for Congress in 2012. Titus was elected to represent the state’s 3rd Congressional District in 2008, but lost re-election to Republican Rep. Joe Heck in 2010.
Titus told The Daily Caller that she is waiting for the results of the state’s redistricting before officially jumping into the race.
Nevada will gain one seat in the next congressional session. Preliminary redistricting maps place three of the four seats largely in the southern part of the state, the region that Titus formerly represented.
“While I will not be formally declaring until the new district lines are drawn, which hopefully will be by June 6 when the Legislature is set to adjourn, I am seriously considering running again in the district that includes the largest number of people I have represented and fought for over the years in the state Senate and in Congress,” Titus said.
Titus also weighed in on the 2012 Senate campaign, which will pit Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley of the 1st Congressional District against Republican Sen. Dean Heller, who represented northern Nevada’s vast 2nd Congressional District before being appointed this month as John Ensign’s replacement in the Senate.
“I believe Shelley Berkley can win the Senate race in Nevada,” Titus told TheDC. “She is very popular in the South where most of the votes are; she has the Harry Reid Democratic machine in place which can do amazing grassroots work; she is a monster at fund raising; she is known as a hard worker and fighter for Nevada.”
Titus said that she believes that “Heller’s voting record has become more extreme over the years and narrowly focused to appeal to the rural north; he is not known in the south.”
Aside from the regional divide that defines Nevada politics, Titus also cited two other examples of what she feels will be weaknesses for Heller. “His party in Nevada has been plagued by two major scandals recently,” Titus noted, adding that “he has voted for the Ryan budget which the large senior population in Nevada dislikes.”