President of conservative think tank NPRI joins House race

The president of the conservative Nevada Policy Research Institute has resigned his post to become the fourth Republican seeking the state’s 3rd Congressional District seat.

Andy Matthews announced Monday that he’s joining the race to replace Republican Rep. Joe Heck, who’s running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Harry Reid. Other Republicans vying for the congressional seat include state Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson and former congressional candidates Danny Tarkanian and Annette Teijeiro.

“Washington, D.C., taxes too much, spends too much and regulates too much,” Matthews said in his announcement. “And politicians today spend too much time trying to run our lives. We need leaders who recognize that fact and are committed to ending the assault on our freedoms.”

Matthews described Roberson, who has the support of Gov. Brian Sandoval and other prominent Republican officeholders, as his chief rival and a liberal. He pointed to the state senator’s role this spring in passing a major tax package that was backed by Sandoval and frequently criticized by NPRI.

Matthews was president of NPRI from 2011 until announcing his campaign. He previously served as a campaign manager for conservative Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers’ unsuccessful run for governor.

He’ll be replaced by Sharon Rossie, who served as NPRI’s president from 2006 to 2011.

The 3rd Congressional District includes Henderson and Summerlin in southern Nevada. Democrats hold a slight registration advantage there, but a sizeable portion of registered nonpartisans make it Nevada’s most competitive district.

No prominent Democrats have announced a bid for the seat.