LAS VEGAS-With Democrats' hopes for a state senate majority resting squarely on her shoulders, Allison Copening, a 43-year-old former spokesperson for the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, officially announced her campaign to unseat Republican state Sen. Bob Beers in Senate District 6 Saturday. 

Copening, surrounded by family, friends and members of the Democratic Caucus, refrained from taking shots at Beers in brief remarks, leaving that to Nevada Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus.

"If you think about the people who are out there in office, when you think of the ones who represent, kind of, the worst that there is, the most negative attitude, the most ‘my way or no way,' the most ‘I won't listen to the people of Nevada,' the most ‘let's turn back the clock,' who do you think of?" Titus asked.

"Bob Beers," said Titus, together with the crowd.  "Okay, the governor, too."

Copening's event was well-attended, with approximately seventy supporters coming out along with state Sens. Titus, Maggie Carlton, Valerie Wiener and Steven Horsford and Assemblymen William Horne and Joseph Hogan.

"I'm a second-generation Las Vegan," said Copening.  "I have a passion for Nevada and I have a passion for seeing issues resolved.  I'm a problem solver and I've always been about bringing people together in my professional life, in my personal life and in my non-profit work that I've done.  I like to bring people together to resolve issues that we have and this is what I plan to do when we get to Carson City."

The stakes could not be higher for Copening and Nevada Democrats, and this race may well take on national proportions.  If Democrats take control of the state senate and maintain that control through 2010, they will be in the enviable position of controlling both houses of the legislature during redistricting following the decennial census.  Not only could they redraw Nevada's 3rd Congressional District to virtually ensure a Democratic seat, but also, assuming Nevada gains a fourth seat, draw that one favorably as well.

"It's pretty exciting, isn't it?" Copening asked.  "I want to stay focused on Nevada, on the issues of Nevada.  That's my role.  What happens beyond, what happens nationally may be as a result of me getting in there, but my focus is going to stay on Nevada."

Due to the importance of her race, Copening will likely be the target of negative attacks and is already the subject of an anonymous website, which both Beers and senate legislative caucus director Joe Brezny have denied involvement with.  Copening said Saturday she is "truly not worried" about potential attacks.

"I think when you get into the negative campaigning, that shows a little bit of desperation," said Copening.  "We've heard it all, the Republicans are nervous and I think they should be."

Beers, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006, is a prolific fundraiser and started this year with nearly $200,000 cash-on-hand.  He has said he may raise as much as $1 million for this campaign.  Asked if she would be able to compete with that fundraising strength, Copening replied "I don't know if I need to raise up to $1 million."

"I'm going to be doing so much grassroots and I think that's the key to a successful campaign," said Copening.  "I don't think it's going to be as hard as some people have experienced raising those dollars, especially because of the race that it is."

Having just begun her campaign, Copening would not go into details of her legislative agenda if elected, saying that would wait until she had done more research.

"As I've begun this journey, doing this campaign in stages, the first stage of the campaign is to let people know who I am," said Copening.  "I equate it a lot to when you recruit a person to come work as a CEO of a corporation.  You hope to get that person in on their credentials, their background, their character, their leadership abilities and problem solving.  That person doesn't know what all of the issues are, what all of the details are, the intricacies and issues that corporation may have.  You don't know until you get into it."

Senate District 6 is the most-evenly split senate seat in play this year, with fewer than 400 more Democratic voter registrations than Republican, and likely the Democrats' best hope of picking up a Republican seat.  State Sen. Joe Heck's 5th Senate District in Henderson has more than 2,000 more Democrats than Republicans, but has not yet drawn a challenger.