Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV)

Democratic Rep. Dina Titus has supported immigration reform as a candidate, but would prefer to see the House focus on jobs and the economy before diving into a complicated new issue.

“The House has taken up a number of major issues that are still awaiting action in the Senate,” Titus spokesman Andrew Stoddard said. “Rather than adding to that growing list, she supports letting the Senate move first while the House continues to focus first and foremost on creating jobs.”

Some Democrats think the issue can wait another year. They reason that Hispanic voters will be plenty motivated this fall in battleground states, including Nevada, with massive get-out-the-vote efforts in major races, such as Reid’s re-election and the Nevada governor’s race.

These voices think it is better to continue working in the background, preparing a bill that could pass both chambers, rather that igniting a blistering floor debate before the election.

Polls show that although immigration reform is important to the Hispanic electorate, the economy remains its top issue as Hispanic households have suffered disproportionately with foreclosures and joblessness. Democratic efforts on those issues will be motivators, they believe.

Moreover, these Democrats think Hispanic voters will rally to the polls when they see their choices. Most of the leading Republican candidates challenging Reid, for example, oppose comprehensive immigration reform in favor of stricter enforcement and border security.

But immigration reform advocates think this is wishful thinking, and warn that Democrats risk losing a group they have successfully courted away from Republicans. Hispanic groups are running television and radio ads in Las Vegas pushing the issue. Groups plan a major national rally March 21 in Washington.

Sharry, the reform advocate, outlines a scenario, albeit an optimistic one, in which a Schumer-Graham bill emerges this spring with enough Republican support — perhaps with the nine Republicans who supported the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court — to overcome reluctant Democrats.

“Democrats are in full panic mode. Republicans are in full beating-of-the-chest mode. Maybe when the dust settles we have a shot,” Sharry said.

“The question is, does Reid make time for it? He is going to get push-back from those who are scared. He’s going to get the chattering class saying this will make health care reform look like child’s play,” he said.

“I think Sen. Reid gets this. When he looks at how does he get to 50 percent-plus-one (on Election Day), a huge chunk of that is Latinos. There are a lot of Vegas businesses that need immigrants,” he said.

“We are going to press for this to be the bipartisan breakthrough.”

With that, Sharry acknowledged, “It has an Indiana Jones feel to it, I admit.”