With high-profile Democrats already bailing out of re-election campaigns - Sen. Evan Bayh’s decision on Monday to drop out of the race in Indiana brings the number of retirees to five - Mr. Obama is putting his popularity and fundraising prowess on the line as he tries to help his party hold the majority in the Senate.

Local Republicans are salivating at the prospect of Mr. Obama dropping into town to campaign for their opponents.

“The hardworking families in Nevada see right through any type of political dog-and-pony shows taking place this week in Las Vegas,” said former state Sen. Sue Lowden, a Republican running for Mr. Reid’s seat. “No amount of campaign cash will buy back the trust of voters and convince them that he deserves another six years.”

Even Democratic strategists say a visit by the president - whose poll numbers have plummeted since taking office - carries risks for his fellow Democrats.

“It’s definitely a gamble,” said Democratic strategist Liz Chadderdon. “A handshake that raises $1 million now could cost them the election later.”

Mr. Obama on Thursday will head to Colorado to deliver remarks at an event for Sen. Michael Bennet, who is trailing both Republicans vying for their party’s nomination. Mr. Bennet, 45, took office in January 2009 when Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. appointed him to fill the seat of Ken Salazar, whom Mr. Obama appointed to his Cabinet as secretary of the interior.

Mr. Bennet trails Jane Norton, a former lieutenant governor and state representative, by 14 percentage points, and Ken Bush, a district attorney and former congressional aide, by four percentage points, according to the most recent Rasmussen Reports survey.

The president’s appearance likely will help Mr. Bennet survive the Democratic primary because he “is still very popular with base voters,” said Ms. Chadderdon. “But will Obama’s numbers have rebounded enough in the general [election] not to be an albatross?”

On Thursday night, Mr. Obama will headline a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Las Vegas. The next day, he will hold events in the city with Mr. Reid, whose popularity in Nevada has fallen to record lows. Polls show a slew of Republican challengers - among them Mrs. Lowden and Las Vegas real estate developer Danny Tarkanian - ahead of Mr. Reid in potential November matchups.

Still, Democratic strategist Bud Jackson said calling in the president - even if his poll numbers are falling - still can be fruitful.

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“Reid is done; he’s going to lose” in November, Titus said during a closed door meeting last week with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and colleagues, according to Politico. The paper cites three people in the room who heard the comment.

Titus denied that she had singled out Reid, Politico said.

But she acknowledged that she said Democrats would be “f—-ed” if they failed to heed the lessons of Massachusetts, where Republican Scott Brown won Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat last week, the paper reported.

The frank talk is sure to add a new dimension to the Reid-Titus relationship.

Titus spoke to Reid last night and denied making the comment.

The majority leader accepted her explanation, a Reid aide said.

“They have had a good relationship for years and he takes her at her word,” said Reid spokesman Jon Summers.

The two have a frosty history, especially after Reid did not appear to give his robust support for her failed campaign for governor. But they had appeared to have patched up their differences as Titus unseated a Republican congressman in 2008 and came to Washington.

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Henderson resident Randy Spitzmesser prompted the FEC probe of his former employer, Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects.
On behalf of the architecture firm, Las Vegas attorney Stan Hunterton told the Las Vegas Review-Journal by fax last month, “We do not believe that anything was intentionally done wrong” regarding campaign finances.

Spitzmesser also thinks Henderson-based Tate Snyder Kimsey did not adequately disclose its recent history of legal disputes to the agency that awarded the border-crossing job.

His FEC complaint alleges the architecture firm illegally forced him to donate $1,000 to Reid in February and then covertly repaid him after he complained he didn’t have the money to spare. The firm hid the transaction, he said, by adding an extra $1,000 to a check that was also his reimbursement for legitimate business expenses. Federal laws prohibit campaign contributions that come from corporations, disguise the true donor’s identity or involve coercion.

“We should not force our political will” in the workplace, is how Spitzmesser explained his resistance to supporting Reid. He said he voiced his opposition directly to Windom Kimsey, a firm principal. Spitzmesser said Kimsey responded that individuals who did not support Reid “will not have any work for the upcoming year.”

In late June, the firm laid off Spitzmesser, citing a lack of work. Less than a month later, it won a huge assignment from the U.S. General Services Administration to modernize and expand the land port of entry in Otay Mesa, Calif. Federal stimulus dollars will pay for the project.

Reid and his re-election staff are aware of the FEC probe, campaign manager Brandon Hall said Friday.

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With Nevada’s economy poisoned by recession and the nation’s highest foreclosure and bankruptcy rates, business at Johnson’s boat-repair shop has nose-dived 40 percent since last year. He cannot afford health insurance, and his sewer bill jumped to $875 a year.

“I really have to pose a question: Harry, what have you done for me lately?” asks Johnson, who vows to vote against Reid and other incumbents unless health care is made affordable…Full Associated Press story HERE.

Now, as Reid and other negotiators move closer to unveiling their health care plan, liberal advocacy groups are ratcheting up the pressure, saying they will run Reid out of Washington if he does not bring a public option to the Senate floor….Full story HERE on CBSNews.com.

“Where’s Chuck?” the person asked.

“He’s probably out there talking about me,” Reid quipped…

Full story HERE in the Politico.

Full story in the Politico here: http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=6FCC770D-18FE-70B2-A8654D310EDEEBAA

A new independent poll conducted for the Las Vegas Review Journal shows Reid trailing two unknown opponents — former state party chairwoman Sue Lowden and businessman Danny Tarkanian — and just 38 percent of Nevada voters had a favorable opinion of their senator.

Full story in the Washington Post: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/nv-sen-harry-reids-dilemma.html