In an effort to shore up two redder districts, Nevada State Democrats unpacked a bit of downtown Las Vegas, making NV-01 slightly more competitive. The result is that U.S. Rep. Dina Titus’ district moves from D+12 to D+3 and it is now considered a tossup race.
Titus has dedicated her entire professional life to education and public service. Serving in Congress since 2008, Tutus is running for re-election to fight for those who need it the most—not those who have the most.
Her opponents in November are Mark Richardson, Republican, and Ken Cavanaugh, Libertarian. Richardson has opposed infrastructure investments that would create good-paying jobs in Nevada, backed bills to criminalize women who seek abortions, and fought to keep big corporations from paying their fair share of taxes.
HER BACKGROUND
Rep. Dina Titus grew up in the small community of Tifton, Georgia, and learned the value of community involvement. Her great-great-grandfather James Seward served as a Democrat in the U.S. Congress from 1853 to 1859 and in the Georgia State Senate from 1860 to 1864. Her uncle, Theo Titus, served in the Georgia Legislature as a Republican, and her father, Joe, ran for a seat on the Tifton City Council. Additionally, on her mother Betty’s side, the “coffee table” in her Papu’s downtown Plaza restaurant was always occupied by local politicos debating current issues.
A dedicated student, Titus attended a summer program at the historic College of William and Mary and did so well that she was admitted full-time for the fall – without a high school diploma. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from William and Mary, Titus went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Georgia and a doctorate from Florida State University.
Rep. Titus taught for a year at North Texas State University in Denton before moving to Nevada to accept a faculty position at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Over the next 34 years, a virtual who’s-who in government, public service, and legal circles studied with Professor Titus, whose classes consistently ranked among the most popular offerings on the campus.
Prior to her election to Congress, Titus served for 20 years in the Nevada Senate, representing the 7th district.
ON THE ISSUES
Unlike her opponent, Rep. Titus is a strong supporter of a woman’s right to choose and has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood. When Dobbs was decided, Titus said “the court overruled Roe by a margin of two votes from far-right justices who swore under oath to protect precedent. The highest court in the land is losing legitimacy because members don’t keep their word. I’m fighting to safeguard abortion access for all women.”
After the worst mass shooting in modern American history occurred in Las Vegas, Rep. Titus emerged as one of the leading voices in the U.S. House, calling for substantive action to reduce gun violence. She introduced the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act to ban semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition feeding devices like the one used in the shooting, and she has consistently supported measures to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
Rep.Titus believes climate change is real and that the effects can be readily seen in Nevada. She recently said, ”It is clear that natural disasters are getting worse due to climate change. I voted for the Inflation Reduction Act because it will transform our energy infrastructure, drop carbon emissions by 40%, and create clean energy jobs in southern Nevada.”
