Republican Assemblyman Ty Cobb announced Thursday he will run for the state Senate seat being vacated by Randolph Townsend.
Townsend, also a Republican, is prohibited for running again by term limits. He will have served 28 years in the Legislature.
Cobb is in his second term as an Assemblyman representing District 26 in south Reno. He describes himself as one of the "strongest fiscal watchdogs in the Nevada Legislature." He said he wants to add a conservative voice to the Senate.
"Some of the special interests in Carson City like to attack me for fighting tax increases," he said in announcing his run. "To me, it is my responsibility as a fiscal steward of Nevada's taxpayers to demand that government live within its means."
Cobb, a lawyer, gained notoriety on his first day as an Assemblyman by voting against selection of Barbara Buckley as the first woman speaker of that body. He said he could not support a speaker who is that liberal.
He faces Ben Kieckhefer of Reno in the primary. Kieckhefer is a former reporter and currently public information officer for the Health and Human Services Department who has already been endorsed by Townsend as well as several other party leaders.
Washoe Senate District 4 covers parts of south Reno, Washoe Valley, north Tahoe and parts of northern Carson City.