POLL: BILBRAY IS LOOKING ‘LESS LIKE A SERIOUS PROBLEM’
et, so (Democrats) have to manufacture interest for folks,” Damore said.
Rose McKinney-James, a former executive board member of theNevadaDemocraticParty,said midterms are always challenging for her party. She cited the anemic turnout numbers from June’s primary election — only 19 percent of registered voters cast ballots — as a reason to rally support sooner rather than later.
For Republicans, their base of support tends to vote more reliably in nonpresidential years. Gov. Brian Sandoval’s popularity and a potential Republican takeover in the state Senate (Democrats now hold an 11-10 majority) will also help spark interest.
“Democrats are trying to do everything they can because I thinktheyrealizewhatpoorshape President Obama is in politically,” former Nevada Gov. Bob List, a Republican, said. “They’re trying to overcome that.”
Expect to see more Demo- cratic “surrogates” funnel into Nevada as the election grows near, List said.
Hillary Clinton visited Las Vegas in April and will be back twice this fall, once for Reid’s clean energy summit and again for the UNLV Foundation fundraiser. Obama’s frequent fundraising trips to California make it possible he could stop here, too.
“There is clearly a concern about energizing the base,” said Richard Bryan, a former Democratic U.S. senator from Nevada.
Bilbray needs the vice president’s signature gusto. A recent poll signaled that Bilbray, who once looked like a strong contender against Heck, “looks less like a serious problem.”
On Monday, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, stumped for Bilbray and lieutenant governor candidate Lucy Flores at a “women’s roundtable.” She also spoke at a fundraiser for Bilbray and visited the NAACP convention.
FloresisfacingstateSen.Mark Hutchison in what many are calling the top-ticket race this fall and a proxy battle between the state’s political power brokers. Sandoval hand-picked Hutchison to run, and Flores is Reid’s candidate.
That Flores is the top Democrat in this year’s election is a message that’s already one of the party’s talking points.
“We are going to have a really strong solid coordinated campaign led by the Nevada state party with Lucy Flores at the top of the ticket,” WassermanSchultz told reporters Monday.