Happy post-Democratic National Convention Saturday, where we have 73 days to go until the election. I wasn’t in Chicago this week, but Lil’ Jon’s voting-themed performance of “Get Low” is still stuck in my head and there are plenty of Nevada highlights to go through.

As I did for the Republican National Convention, let’s jump right to The Nevada Angle and review how the Silver State made its mark on the convention.

The Nevada Angle: DNC

1. Presidential hopefuls stopped by the Nevada delegation’s breakfasts

A train of up-and-coming Democratic stars stopped by the Nevada delegation’s breakfasts in Chicago this week to address the Silver State delegates whose influence will be paramount come the next competitive Democratic presidential primary.

Among the ambitious electeds who stopped by: 

• Govs. Andy Beshear (KY), Josh Shapiro (PA), Jared Polis (CO), Wes Moore (MD) and J.B. Pritzker (IL); 
• Sens. Amy Klobuchar (MN), Cory Booker (NJ) and Michael Bennet (CO);
• Cabinet Secretaries Pete Buttigieg, Julie Su and Deb Haaland. 

Of course, delegates were addressed by their Nevada elected officials too.

Those who spoke used their times differently — some fired up the crowd, while others introduced themselves and gave a rundown of their accomplishments. A group of speakers that included four people who have already run for president know better than anyone how critical the Silver State is to their political ambitions, and flattered the crowd as such.

Alluding to their shared status as second-in-the-nation primaries, Booker — who was not on the schedule — told delegates that he had spoken to the New Hampshire delegates that morning and therefore had to talk to Nevadans too. 

Mentioning that his mom lives in the state, he also called party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno his “favorite party chairwoman,” joking with the crowd to not tell the Democratic Party of New Jersey. Su pledged to return to Nevada on the campaign trail soon; Beshear said Nevada needs to elect a Democratic governor come 2026.

Samantha Crunkilton, a Nevada delegate and DNC committeewoman, said Buttigieg, Beshear, Moore and Pritzker were highlights but acknowledged that the energy needs to be translated into turning out voters. 

“Our delegation had a ton of fun at all the breakfasts and being on the floor and hanging out — being around everyone, and all the energy,” she said in an interview. “Every morning it's like, 76 days, 75 days [until the election]. We're ready to get home and do the work and knock doors and talk to voters and get people out.”

2. Cortez Masto’s primetime speaking slot

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) took the stage for a primetime speaking slot Wednesday night to boost Vice President Kamala Harris — whom she’s known since their attorneys general days and who has emerged as a close ally in the Senate.

The speech was pretty classic CCM, a lawyer known more for deft policymaking than loquaciousness. She used examples of their experiences working together as attorneys general on the foreclosure crisis, human trafficking and transnational criminal justice at the border, punctuating each anecdote with a takeaway and a “That’s Kamala Harris!”

“Trust me when I say I know she will fight for our families and our freedoms,” Cortez Masto said. “Now, we must fight for her!”

Nevada’s senior senator has a unique vantage point to do that because she is the only member of the congressional delegation not running for re-election in 2024. Notably, her counterpart Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), skipped the convention to hit the campaign trail.

Cortez Masto told the convention about her own 2022 re-election bid, delivered by fewer than 8,000 voters, as a testament to how Harris can win the state. It also served as a reminder to Democrats about how narrow the margins can be in Nevada — Republicans recalling that figure are surely thinking the same thing about their own prospects.

3. Nevada Dems make their pitch

In their 90 seconds to make their case during the DNC roll call, Nevada Democrats hit a reliable theme — representing America.

“Nevada is the most diverse battleground state in the country,” Monroe-Moreno said on the convention floor. “Home of the late great Senator Harry Reid, the only Latina ever to serve in the U.S. Senate — Catherine Cortez Masto — and we are the first and only women-majority state Legislature.”

It’s the same pitch that Nevada Democrats are using to explain why they believe Harris can win, and one they’ve relied on to try and elevate the Silver State to be the first-in-the-nation primary.

Crunkilton said other Democrats understand Nevada’s importance — and that the delegation thinks of themselves as “messengers” to that effect. She said multiple delegates from other states pledged to hold volunteering and phone banking events for Nevada.

“There's just a lot of attention on Nevada,” Crunkilton said. “I think that's really important [to] continue that energy.”

Around the Capitol

🏘️Millions for veteran housing — The Department of Veterans’ Affairs is sending $8.7 million to two Nevada organizations for veteran housing.

U.S. Vets Las Vegas and the Salvation Army in Southern Nevada will each receive millions of dollars to provide housing and wraparound services to veterans experiencing homelessness. 

💸Truzz Trump on tips? CCM says no — In an interview with Nexstar stations, Cortez Masto continued making the case for her friend Harris by saying she better understood the economic issues that matter to Nevada voters. That includes ending taxes on tips, a policy first floated by Trump — which Cortez Masto said was unserious (while adding that she supports the policy).

“He’s bluffing!” Cortez Masto said. “And he’s a political opportunist, and the Culinary members know that.”

What I’m Reading

Bloomberg Tax: In Vegas where tips rule, distrust mounts over tax-free pitches

As everyone rushes to embrace “no taxes on tips,” a view from the ground in Las Vegas.

The Nevada Independent: How Nevada colleges and universities are encouraging students to vote

The youth vote cometh.

The New York Times: In Nevada, Rosen skips convention but hopes to benefit from Harris’ rise

Washoe and Douglas counties get the NYT treatment. (Related: Is Gardnerville a “quaint town”? Weigh in!)

Notable and Quotable

“Where my grandmother never thought she would see what we’re living through, for my granddaughter, this will be the norm.”

— NV Dems Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno, on the historic nature of Kamala Harris’ candidacy as a Black woman