After just the first two days of filing, Dean Heller has three primary challengers in his U.S. Senate race.
In addition to Sherry Brooks of Reno, he faces perennial candidates Eddie Hamilton, of Henderson, and Carlo Poliak of Las Vegas. The lone Democrat in the race as of Tuesday was Nancy Price of Sparks, who, like Hamilton and Poliak, has made more than one previous and unsuccessful run for political office.
Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley has announced she is running against Heller, who was appointed to the seat vacated by John Ensign in May, but she has yet to file.
Independent American Russell Best of Carson City has filed in CD2. He is expected to face Republican Mark Amodei, who won Heller's vacant seat in a special election last September but, like Berkley, has not yet filed.
In the new CD4, Republican Danny Tarkanian, making his third bid for a major office, has filed. He expects to face Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford in the district that reaches from Las Vegas up the eastern side of the state to Elko.
In what will be one of the most closely watched legislative races, Sheila Leslie filed in District 15 after voluntarily surrendering her District 13 seat, a bid to add to the Democratic majority by defeating Greg Brower. Brower was appointed to that seat after Bill Raggio's resignation before the 2011 session. He filed for election to the post Tuesday.
The new district lines give the GOP a minimal registration advantage, which Leslie says she can overcome. Assembly Ways and Means Chairman Debbie Smith has filed to serve the final two years in Leslie's seat.
In the multi-county legislative seats covering western and rural Nevada, no Democrats had filed as of the close of business Tuesday.
In Senate District 19, former Assembly Republican caucus leader Pete Goicoechea of Eureka filed. Perennial Independent American Party candidate Janine Hansen of Elko also filed. The district spans eastern and rural Nevada including Elko, Eureka, Lincoln, White Pine and most of Nye and rural eastern Clark County.
Carson City's Pete Livermore filed for a second term in Carson City's District 40.
Incumbent Republicans Ira Hansen of Sparks and John Ellison of Elko filed for re-election in Assembly Districts 32 and 33. Hansen's district includes Lander, Humboldt, Pershing, Mineral and Esmeralda counties as well as part of Washoe and Nye. Ellison's district includes Elko, Eureka and White Pine counties and part of Lincoln.
Tom Grady of Yerington and Kelly Kite of Minden also filed for new two-year terms in Districts 38 and 39. District 38 includes Churchill and part of Lyon. District 39 includes Douglas, Storey and part of Lyon counties.
Unlike the other incumbents, Kite drew two GOP challengers: Gary Schmidt of Dayton and Jim Wheeler of Minden.
District 36 drew four Republican newcomers, Walt Grudzinski of Pahrump, Delmar Leatham of Logandale, James Oscarson of Pahrump and Nathan Schlumpf of Las Vegas.
In Washoe County, incumbent Democrats David Bobzien of Reno and Skip Daly of Sparks along with Republican Randy Kirner of Reno have all filed. The district includes parts of Clark, Lincoln and Nye counties.
Richard Riendeau of Carson City filed for the District 9 seat on the Board of Regents. Carson's Ron Knecht has also announced he will seek a second six-year term in that seat.
Filing continues through March 16 with multi-county offices filing with the secretary of state and single county offices at the individual county election offices.
