Danny Tarkanian wins Nevada GOP congressional primary

Danny Tarkanian is projected to win his Republican congressional primary on Tuesday in the race to replace outgoing Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) in November.

The Associated Press called the race for him at 9:30 p.m. PDT.

Tarkanian, who is fresh off a narrow defeat in the district south of Las Vegas in 2016, overcame eight Republican challengers to win the primary Tuesday. Rosen, a freshman lawmaker, is vacating her seat to run for Senate.

The Nevada businessman was originally running as a GOP primary challenger to incumbent Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) but switched to run for the House seat after being urged by President Trump. 

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Tarkanian, the son of legendary University of Nevada, Las Vegas basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, received an endorsement from Trump after announcing that he would run for the 3rd District’s open seat.

Danny Tarkanian ran against Rosen last cycle, but lost by only 1 point, while the president won the district by a similar margin in 2016.

This is Tarkanian’s third congressional bid since 2012. He’s also run for the state Senate, Nevada secretary of state, U.S. Senate and Nevada System of Higher Education Regent.

The 3rd District is slightly more GOP-leaning than its neighboring district currently held by Rep. Ruben Kihuen (D-Nev.), who won’t seek another term after sexual misconduct allegations. The Rosen seat covers the area south of Las Vegas and includes Henderson.

Meanwhile, in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, philanthropist Susie Lee defeated six Democratic challengers. She was the overwhelming favorite for the nomination and was backed early by national Democrats.

Lee is an ally of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who still remains powerful in the state’s political circles. Lee ran last year in Nevada’s 4th District, but came in third in the Democratic primary.