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Jill Derby, Democratic candidate for the 2nd Nevada Congressional District seat now held by GOP Rep. Dean Heller, called her opponent in lockstep with Wall Street and not Main Street during an appearance at K-7 Pizza and Lounge recently.

Derby was in town to ride in the annual Pahrump Fall Festival parade Sept. 27. Heller defeated Derby in the 2006 congressional race, winning 50.4 percent of the vote to Derby's 44.9 percent. In a Las Vegas Review-Journal poll published Monday, Heller had a commanding 13 percentage point lead.

But Derby said she was enthused this year by an active registration drive before the January presidential caucus that increased Democratic registration totals.

Derby said 82 percent of the American people now feel the U.S. is moving in the wrong direction.

The latest economic crisis was on center stage during Derby's remarks. She didn't mention the Iraq War during her brief, prepared speech.

Derby charged that while Democrats were actively registering Nevadans, Heller was in Washington, D.C., voting against health care for children, affordable prescription drugs for seniors, the minimum wage, pay equity for women, educational benefits for veterans and alternative energy.

"Dean Heller, who sits on the banking committee and has taken almost $200,000 in contributions from the banking and finance industry, voted with the banks and against the credit card holder bill of rights," Derby charged.

"He's looking out for Wall Street, he's looking out for the banks and not looking out for Main Street and you and me," she said.

In speaking to the local Democratic Party faithful, she emphasized the importance of this election.

"You know there's an old country saying that goes, 'When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is quit digging.' Well we need to stop digging, and I want to tell you Dean Heller is part of that shovel brigade, bulldozer brigade, that got us in this hole. We need to take his shovel away, send him packing," Derby said.

Besides electing Barack Obama as president, Derby said voters have to increase Democratic numbers in the House and Senate "so that we really have the muscle and the clout and the numbers to bring about the change that we need to bring about to get this country back on track."

So how does she feel about the war in Iraq?

"The tragedy of it all is we invaded the wrong country," Derby said.