Dina Titus
Representative, 2009–2011, Democrat from Nevada
Image courtesy of the Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
After teaching political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for more than 30 years and serving in the Nevada state senate for 20 years, Dina Titus capitalized on President Barack Obama’s electoral popularity to win election in 2008 to the United States House of Representatives. Calling herself “an educator from a family of educators,” she made educational issues a centerpiece of her single term in the House.1
Alice Constandina Titus was born on May 23, 1950, in Thomasville, Georgia, one of two daughters born to Joe Titus, a businessman in the hospitality industry, and Betty Titus.2 Growing up in nearby Tifton, Georgia, her close-knit family instilled in her the value of community involvement and introduced her to politics at an early age when her father ran for city council. Titus graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1970 with an A.B. in government and earned a Master’s degree in political science from the University of Georgia in 1973. In 1976, Titus earned a Ph.D. in political science from Florida State University.3 After teaching at North Texas State University for a year, Titus moved to Nevada to teach American politics and Nevada political history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she has been a professor and author for the past 34 years, going on leave while serving in Congress.4 Titus married Thomas C. Wright, a professor of Latin American history, in 1970. She has published numerous scholarly articles on American politics. Titus is internationally known for her expertise in the history and policies related to nuclear power, weaponry, and waste.5 While a member of the Nevada legislature, Titus focused on issues concerning education and energy independence. As minority leader of the state senate for 15 years, she sponsored legislation to create Nevada’s Check Up program, which provided health care for 25,000 uninsured children.6
Titus ran in 2008 for a U.S. House seat encompassing the Las Vegas suburbs of Henderson and portions of Summerlin and Clark County (created after the 2000 Census). Las Vegas District Attorney Robert Daskas was the Democratic Party’s original choice to run but dropped out citing “family considerations.” Titus was quickly recruited by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada who wanted a candidate to challenge incumbent Republican Jon Porter and prevailed upon her to do so.7 The seat was important enough to Democratic plans that vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden made a campaign stop on Titus’s behalf during the election. Running on her service in the state legislature, Titus defeated Porter, 47 to 42 percent, becoming the first Democrat to represent the district created in the 2000 redistricting process.
In the U.S. House, Titus served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the Committee on Education and Labor. As a member of the Education and Labor Committee, Titus opposed the initial health care reform bill when the committee passed it in July 2009. But when the House took up a revised bill on the floor that ultimately passed, Titus reversed her position. There were several changes in the revised legislation that convinced her the final bill was acceptable for her constituents, especially as it dropped a purposed surtax on those earning more than $280,000 and added a provision that allowed small business owners to participate in the new health exchange (the latter an amendment offered by Titus).8 Titus also urged investment in renewable energy development and supported legislation to curb greenhouse gasses.9 In addition, she was selected regional whip by her Democratic colleagues and worked closely with Majority Whip James Clyburn to build consensus for the Democratic agenda and pass legislation. During her term, Representative Titus sponsored 16 bills and co-sponsored 347.
In her 2010 re-election bid, Titus faced Joseph Heck, a conservative Republican opponent and former state senator. Titus’s support for both President Obama’s health care initiative and his economic stimulus package made her vulnerable in one of the districts hardest hit by the recession. Heck narrowly defeated Titus by a margin of 2,000 votes.10 Following the election, Titus returned to teaching at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In June 2011, she retired from her position, though she still retains a professor emeritus title and continues to teach.
Further Reading
"Titus, Dina," Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, 1774-Present, http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?ndex=T000468.Footnotes
- Brittany Shoot, “Dina Titus,” Washington Post, 8 March 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dina-titus/gIQAsdNqAP_topic.html?loadTab=2 (accessed 3 February 2012).
- “About Dina Titus,” Elect Dina Titus For U.S. Congress, n.d., http://www.dinatitus.com/about-dina-titus (accessed 16 December 2011).
- Michael Barone and Richard E. Cohen, Almanac of American Politics 2010, (Washington D.C.: The National Journal: 2009): 938.
- Titus’ most recent publications include Bombs in the Backyard: Atomic Testing and American Politics (Las Vegas, Nevada: University of Nevada Press: 2001) and Battle Born: Federal-State Relations in Nevada During the Twentieth Century (Dubuque, Indiana: Kendall-Hunt: 1989).
- “About Dina Titus.”
- “Titus Says Bill Would Make Vaccine More Accessible,” Las Vegas Review Journal, 10 April 2007, http://www.lvrj.com/news/6949627.html (accessed 26 August 2011).
- Martin Kady II, “Top Democratic House challenger drops out,” Politico, 28 April 2008, http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0408/Top_Democratic_House_challenger_drops_out.html (accessed 2 February 2012).
- Lisa Mascaro, “Dina Titus Backing House Health Care Plan After Changes,” Las Vegas Sun, 4 November 2009, http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/nov/04/dina-titus-backing-house-health-care-plan-after-ch/ (accessed 30 December 2010).
- “Dina Titus on Energy and Oil,” On the Issues, 8 March 2011, http://www.issues2000.org/House/Dina_Titus_Energy_+_Oil.htm (accessed 20 December 2011).
- Sara Weaton, “Nevada 3rd District Profile,” The New York Times, http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/house/nevada/3 (accessed 4 January 2011).