NV-SEN

Heller Appointed To Nevada Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | April 27, 2011, 3:54PM

Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV)

Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV) is officially the newly appointed Senator for Nevada, the Las Vegas Sun reports. He'll take the seat being vacated in early May with the resignation of Republican Sen. John Ensign.

Heller had already been running for the seat, following the scandal-plagued Ensign's announcement that he would not run again in 2012. When Ensign announced his resignation last week, Heller became the immediate favorite to be appointed by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval.

"The people of Nevada deserve a new senator who can begin work immediately," Sandoval said in a press release, mounting an apparent defense of his appointment of an already active candidate. "Too many important issues face our state and our nation to name a caretaker to this important position; Nevada needs an experienced voice in Washington, DC."

This appointment gives Heller an initial incumbency in 2012 against his Democratic challenger, Rep. Shelley Berkley. A recent survey from Public Policy Polling (D) gave Heller a narrow lead of 47%-43% over Berkley in this perennial swing state.

John Ensign

John Ensign Resigning Senate Seat

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 21, 2011, 6:09PM

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

Embattled Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) is resigning from his seat in the U.S. Senate. In a statement released by his office Thursday evening, Ensign said his last day as a Senator will be May 3.

"It is with tremendous sadness that I officially hand over the Senate seat that I have held for eleven years," Ensign said in the statement. "The turbulence of these last few years is greatly surpassed by the incredible privilege that I feel to have been entrusted to serve the people of Nevada. I can honestly say that being a United States Senator has been the honor of my life."

Ensign had already announced he wouldn't be seeking a third term in 2012, after his current term was marred by scandal involving an affair with the wife of a longtime friend and former staffer. The scandal put Ensign in the sights of the Senate Ethics Committee.

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Dean Heller

Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV) Announces Run to Replace Ensign

Benjy Sarlin | March 15, 2011, 11:35AM

Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV)

The open seat left by Sen. John Ensign's (R-NV) scandal-aided retirement in Nevada has drawn its first official top-tier candidate: Republican Congressman Dean Heller.

In an e-mail to supporters obtained by the Las Vegas Sun's Jon Ralston, Heller announced his candidacy, which was already long expected by political observers regardless of whether Ensign retired. Heller's note overwhelmingly focuses on fiscal issues and he proudly touts his vote against TARP, setting up a preview of the race ahead.

"My view then, just as it is now, is that debt fueled bailouts only hurts [sic] long-term economic growth and places taxpayers on the hook for the excesses of Wall Street," Heller wrote. "Now I want to take this fight to the United States Senate."

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John Ensign

Who Will Replace John Ensign in Nevada?

Benjy Sarlin | March 9, 2011, 10:10AM

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

John Ensign (R-NV) is not running for re-election after bowing out Tuesday, but his ongoing scandals and weak poll numbers mean that both parties have had plenty of time to contemplate an election without him. Republicans and Democrats are expected to field formidable candidates, setting up a brawl that could be as competitive as any in the nation.

On the Republican side, Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV) is considered the most likely nominee and was already widely discussed as a primary challenger for Ensign if the senator decided to go for another term. Polls have shown him strong against both Ensign and likely Democratic opponents and some observers have labeled him an early, if slight, frontrunner in the general election. He could have some competition from a familiar face, however -- one of Sharron Angle's former aides has been floating her as a potential candidate in the press. (She could also run for Heller's House seat if he vacates it to seek the Senate post.)

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2010 elections

Dem Rep. Berkley: If I Were Pelosi, I Wouldn't Have Run For Minority Leader (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | November 24, 2010, 5:16PM

Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV)

Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) is voicing a hint of dissent against Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) continuing as Minority Leader -- saying that she did vote for Pelosi in the leadership contest, but wouldn't have actually run if she'd been in the same shoes:

"If I was the Speaker and I had lost 63 votes I would not have stood election. But the fact is she did, there was nobody to seriously challenge her," Berkley said in an interview with Jon Ralston.

"If I were Speaker, I wouldn't have," Berkley added. "But she did and she had no serious opposition as much as I like Heath Shuler..."

(Via Sam Stein)