Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
Nearly three dozen candidates filed for office Monday and Tuesday as the 2010 election season officially opened.
By the end of Tuesday, there were 35 candidates filed with the Secretary of State's office, nine of them for U.S. Senate alone. Filing is open through March 12.
The list included several front-runners in major races including Republicans Brian Sandoval for governor and Sue Lowden for the U.S. Senate.
Asked how he will deal with a potential shortfall of more than $3 billion going into the 2011 Legislative session, Sandoval said he doesn't think it's a good idea to spell out exact solutions now when the economic situation next year isn't clear.
"I'm hopeful things will get better," he said.
He said, however, it would be prudent for all parties to begin working on ideas to solve the budget crisis now. He said he has made several proposals including further cuts to state government and borrowing against future revenues to the unclaimed property fund.
In addition to attorney general, he has served in he Assembly, as head of the Nevada Gaming Commission and a U.S. District Judge - a post he resigned to run for governor.
Lowden, the front-running GOP candidate in a field of more than 12 vying for the right to challenge U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said the most recent poll has her 17 points up on the next contender, Danny Tarkanian, and 13 points up on Reid.
She said if Reid is so powerful for Nevada, "why, for every dollar we give to Washington, we are getting 65 cents back?"
Lowden said she would fight for legal changes to create more jobs in Nevada including cutting the payroll tax, the corporate tax and the capital gains tax.
She is a former state senator and head of the Republican Party.
Republican Ben Kieckhefer filed for Washoe Senate 4, which is being vacated by Randolph Townsend, who is termed out. Assemblyman Ty Cobb is expected to file there as well.
Kieckhefer said he isn't planning to support tax increases.
"That's not the way to get out of a recession," he said. "We need to provide real incentives for businesses to hire people."