Nevada gov won’t run for Reid’s Senate seat

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) won’t run for retiring Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) seat, likely opening the floodgates for Republicans eyeing one of the GOP’s best pickup opportunities next year in the Senate.

Sandoval has long been considered the strongest GOP candidate in Nevada, but observers had also speculated that he might be happy to stay put in his current job. 

{mosads}On Tuesday, the popular governor said that was the case. 

“I have said many times that it is an honor and a privilege to serve as Nevada’s Chief Executive and that I love my job,” Sandoval wrote in a statement on his website. “My heart is in my responsibilities as Governor and continuing to build the New Nevada. My undivided attention must be devoted to being the best Governor, husband and father I can be.”

Had Sandoval run, he would have entered the race as the favorite to win Reid’s seat.

Now Republicans in Nevada will turn to Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.), an Iraq War veteran and proven fundraiser from a swing district. Heck has said he’s considering a bid.

Beyond him, Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison (R), former Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki (R) and Nevada state Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson (R) are potential candidates, along with about a half-dozen other state-level officials and lawmakers.

So far, Reid’s hand-picked successor, former state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto (D), is the only Democrat in the race.

Republicans have their best chance of picking up a Senate seat in Nevada next year.

Overall, the party is defending 24 Senate seats in 2016, compared to 10 for Democrats.

And because 2016 is a presidential election year, Democrats are hopeful they can win back the Senate majority just a cycle after losing it. In the last two presidential cycles, Democrats have gained Senate seats and seen a stronger turnout from their base.