One of the perks of being in person at an event like the Big Tent and the DNC Convention in general is getting access to some really cool events you can't get to anywhere else.  No, I'm not talking about the after-parties; those actually tend to be fairly lame, imho.  I'm talking about the really informative morning and afternoon sessions where activists have the opportunity to learn things you can't get elsewhere.

Today, the New Leaders Council (not in any way affiliated with the odious DLC) put together a lunch meeting where a pollster from DemocracyCorps (Greenberg) presented for the first time their latest Mountain West polling data, just made available here on their site (PDF only).  It's an awesome wealth of material that confirms what most of us DFH bloggers have been saying for a long time: Obama is our best candidate with great coattails; there is no "Hispanic" problem; the best way to win swing voters is to play to progressive strengths; and John McCain has a serious uphill road to hew in the Mountain West.

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Today I had the pleasure of meeting one of our Congressional candidates from Nevada, Andrew Martin  He is an alumni of my university and he came today to meet some of the students involved in our student government.  I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation about a variety of issues and the campaign itself and I was surprised to see no discussion of him or his campaign on the site.  Let me share a few things with you about Andrew, if you'll follow me over the fold.

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http://tessahafen.com/_Images/sites/d882 938s7d/OurSide.mov

IMO this is even better than Tessa's debut ad ("Fire Don Rumsfeld") from last week: http://www.lasvegasgleaner.com/Accountab leMSA_TH06_102.mov

In the new spot she's more natural with the smile and sneaks in some positive bio and values material before hammering Jon Porter for voting with Bush 90% of the time, and all the harm that's done; "billions in tax breaks to big oil, cuts that hurt veterans and votes that weaken border security." She includes a picture of Bush and Porter, beaming together, arm in arm. No direct mention of Iraq, but it was the focus of the first ad, which is still running.

http://tessahafen.com/

I'm beginning to believe this race is very winnable, moreso than Jill Derby in Nevada 2 and perhaps equal or better to Dina Titus' chance in the gov race. BTW, Titus is going on the air next week. Her dimwit opponent, Jim Gibbons, has been ripping Titus in commercials for raising specific taxes, even though he voted for some of the same measures himself.

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http://www.lasvegasgleaner.com/Accountab leMSA_TH06_102.mov

This ad came out today and I'm very pleased by it. It fits with her style on the local political talk show here in Las Vegas, where host Jon Ralston called her "poised and aggressive." Hafen certainly didn't mess around with a tame introduction in her first TV ad. She splashes, "Democrat for Congress" on the screen immediately then calls for Rumsfeld to be fired. The centerpiece is, "We need to hold the Bush administration accountable by asking the tough questions, and getting rid of yes-men like Jon Porter."

This is the new Las Vegas district created in 2002. It's the first time bland rubber stamp Porter has faced a competent challenger not plagued by scandal. The district is 50/50 in registration and this year it's on the top 40 or 50 lists, Hafen within 51-43 in a recent poll.

It's probably tougher for me to objectively evaluate the local spots due to obsessive rooting interest. Porter is a stiff in the Ensign/Gibbons mold. On my first watch the only flaws that hit me were the, "For a Change For Us" slogan at the end is weak, and her smile is not nearly as broad or as natural as in public appearances. But it's a decisive memorable ad that should extinguish the "who?" reactions I get on the Strip when mentioning Hafen to locals.

Hafen is very young, 30ish, but has already served for eight years on Capitol Hill for Harry Reid, recently as press secretary and senior advisor.

http://tessahafen.com/

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