Gov. Gibbons appoints Sue Lowden to state medical board

(AP) - Former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sue Lowden has been named to the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners.

Gov. Jim Gibbons announced Lowden's appointment Tuesday. She replaces Van Hefner, who resigned. Her term will expire in June 2014.

A wealthy casino executive, former state senator and television news anchor, Lowden was a perceived front-runner among 12 GOP candidates who sought to challenge Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

But her campaign sputtered when she suggested bartering with doctors - like bringing a chicken to the doctor as they did in the olden days - was a valid health care option.

Lowden lost the GOP primary to tea party-backed Sharron Angle, and Reid was re-elected to a fifth term in November.

Lowden serves on several charitable boards, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association.