Jon Porter

Tuesday marked the reporting deadline for second quarter campaign contributions, and the figures from Nevada's U.S. House races revealed some interesting developments.

Tuesday marked the reporting deadline for second quarter campaign contributions, and the figures from Nevada's U.S. House races revealed some interesting developments.

Democratic challengers Dina Titus in the 3rd District and Jill Derby in the 2nd District both outraised their Republican opponents, incumbent U.S. Reps. Jon Porter and Dean Heller. Porter and Heller both maintained significant cash-on-hand advantages, however.

Fundraising totals for all major candidates are below:

U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Las Vegas):

Second quarter — $228,626.38

Cash on hand — $1,144,917.54

U.S. Rep. Dean Heller (R-Carson City)

Second quarter — $224,232.52

Cash on hand — $984,007.25

Jill Derby (D-Gardnerville):

Second quarter — $293,393.39

Cash on hand — $353,058.80

U.S. Rep. Jon Porter (R-Henderson):

Second quarter — $418,802.39

Cash on hand — $1,277,180.88

State Sen. Dina Titus (D-Henderson):

Second quarter — $575,392.75

Cash on hand — $553,462.22

Despite outraising U.S. Rep. Jon Porter (R-Henderson) in the second fundraising quarter by almost $160,000, state Sen. Dina Titus (D-Las Vegas) is still well behind the incumbent in cash on hand. Porter leads with $1.3 million in the bank while Titus lags behind with $553,000.

And yet, if combined with the $916,000 media buy reserved by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Porter is actually down in the money race. The DCCC funds aren't committeed -- it's possible they could never materialize if conditions change. But if they come through, Porter really has reason to worry.

U.S. Rep. Jon PorterThe Las Vegas Sun ran a story in Sunday's paper detailing U.S. Rep. Jon Porter's (R-Henderson) efforts to create a government fund to promote U.S. tourism abroad.

The paper noted that Porter has led a spirited charge to marshall support for tourism since taking over as co-chair of the U.S. House Travel and Tourism caucus early last year.

A key source of economic activity in Porter's Las Vegas-area district, tourism has been sluggish in recent months thanks to the rising cost of gasoline and flagging attendance at area casinos.

The Nevada Democratic Party is reporting on its website that Democractic state Sen. Dina Titus (D-Henderson) has raised $575,000 in her bid for U.S. Rep. Jon Porter's (R-Henderson) 3rd Congressional District seat.

The party says Titus has raised more than any other Democratic congressional campaign launched in the last quarter.

The Las Vegas Sun notes, however, that Titus still trails her Republican opponent by a considerable margin, but gives her props for amassing a sizable campaign fund in just two months.

Nevada's Congressional delegation presented a united front in a letter they sent to the U.S. Dept. of Energy Tuesday asking the DOE to recuse a contracted law firm with ties to nuclear utilities from working on projects related to the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste reserve.

U.S. Sens. Harry Reid (D-Searchlight) and John Ensign (R-Las Vegas), and U.S. Reps. Shelley Berkley (D-Las Vegas), Dean Heller (R-Carson City) and Jon Porter (R-Henderson) all signed the letter, the second the delegation sent to the DOE.

The latest figures on voter registration released by the Nevada secretary of state have pundits and reporters from the national media speculating that the Republican stranglehold over the Sagebrush State could be in danger.

The secretary of state's office says that, as of the end of June, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by 55,000 in Nevada. State Democats note that they now hold a 5 percent edge over the GOP when in 2004 — the year of the last presidential election — Republicans held a majority in the state.

Dems rally outside Porter's office: courtesy of Nevada Democratic Party Democrats staged a rally outside of U.S. Rep. Jon Porter's (R-Boulder City) Henderson field office Monday morning in response to Porter's claims that he would submit gasoline receipts from voters in his district to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

The state Democrats said 30 people gathered outside of Porter's
office to present the three-term representative with a mock receipt for the $210,000 in campaign donations Porter has reportedly received from oil companies and affiliated groups. 

After the rally, Nevada's Democratic Party released a statement on its website, calling Porter to task for what they called a pro-oil voting record.

A bipartisan trio of U.S. Representatives from Nevada last week defeated a bill that would give two Native American tribes land in the suburbs of Detroit and Port Huron. Their reason for doing so, according to the Las Vegas Sun, was to protect the interests of the MGM Mirage corporation which has a hotel and casino outside of Detroit that it has spent over a billion dollars developing.

"The Nevada lawmakers' stunningly lopsided victory," Lisa Mascaro wrote in the Sun, showed "the far-flung efforts Nevada's representatives undertake on behalf of the home-state industry as gaming interests spread across the country."

3rd Congressional District candidate Dina Titus.LAS VEGAS - EMILY's list, one of the nation's largest grassroots fundraising organizations, today announced their endorsement of Democratic state Sen. Dina Titus (D-Las Vegas) in the 3rd Congressional District.  Titus's race against incumbent U.S. Rep. Jon Porter (R-Boulder City) is considered one of the closest in the country.

With the endorsement, Titus gains access to EMILY's List's more than 100,000 members, all committed to financially aiding the election of Democratic women.  Not only does the list contribute PAC money to candidates and feature them on their Web site, but also sends frequent e-mails to members urging them to contribute.

This aid for Titus comes on top of a recent formal endorsement by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has also committed to fundraising for her.