Published Caption: Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., has decided not to challenge Sen. Harry Reid in 2010 and, instead,will run for re-election in Congressional District 2. According to Chris Cilizza of the Washington Post, Heller told national Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn of Texas his decision earlier today.
Heller, now in his second term in the house, could not be reached immediately for confirmation of the report. He has been touted within party circles as the Republican office holder with the best chance of beating Reid. Republican polling has had him anywhere from five to nine percentage points ahead of Reid.
Reid, however, has already raised a a huge war chest with upwards of $7 million available for the upcoming campaign for a fifth six-year term in the Senate.
Even before Heller announced his decision, Nevada Republican Party Chairman Sue Lowden had been looking at the possibility of running for the Senate seat herself. She is a former Nevada state senator. Her supporters, led by political operative Robert Uithoven, say she too beats Reid in polling.
Lowden has not filed a declaration of candidacy at this point although she is reportedly testing the waters privately.
Another name that has been mentioned as a potential challenger to Reid is state Sen. Mark Amodei of Carson City.
Amodei had told supporters before that, in his mind, Heller had first call on the challenge to Reid.
Former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, who ran an unsuccessful campaign last election season for the state Senate in Reno, has already filed her declaration and is issuing press releases challenging Reid's actions.