Heller, Berkley face challengers as filing for primary ends

Republican U.S. Sen. Dean Heller and his Democratic challenger U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley will both face fairly weak primary competition, although one dozen candidates met Friday's deadline to file to compete in the U.S. Senate race, Nevada's marquee 2012 contest.

Former U.S. Rep. Dina Titus and Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford will each get free rides with no Democratic competition in their separate races for two Southern Nevada congressional districts.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., drew GOP primary competition in his district from a supporter of presidential candidate Ron Paul of Texas, Chris Dyer, who ran for Congress before in 2008.

Heck's main challenge will come in the fall when he battles the winner of a competitive Democratic primary, with Assembly Speaker John Oceguera the heavy favorite among five Democrats.

In Northern Nevada, U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei faces no GOP primary foe after serving in the seat six months following a special election to replace Heller. Amodei sounded relieved Friday.

"This provides you with a little bit of time to make sure you really put some emphasis on getting some more things done" in Congress, Amodei said. "I am pleasantly shocked to be in the position where I can now focus on those efforts" until he has to ramp up his campaign for the general election.

Amodei got a break when Republican Sharron Angle announced Friday she would not run for office, including his 2nd Congressional District, where she had run and lost in before. Instead, Angle said she would raise money to produce a documentary on election fraud.

The Heller-Berkley matchup promises to be as heated and closely fought as the Senate contest between Angle and U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., two years ago. This time, Democratic control of the Senate is at stake, and if Republicans take over the upper house, Reid would lose his majority leader job.

Also at stake is Nevada's four congressional seats and control of the Legislature. Republicans want to take back the Senate while Democrats expect to maintain a majority in the Assembly.

President Barack Obama also is running for re-election, which could affect races up and down the ticket. If Democrats register more voters and turn out to give Obama a second term, that could lift Berkley and congressional and legislative candidates. If the eventual GOP presidential nominee turns the political tide on the Democratic president, Heller and other Republicans could benefit.

Friday was the last day for Nevadans to file to run for office in the June 12 primary. The winners of the Democratic and Republican contests will face one another in the Nov. 6 general election.

Lou Toomin was the last of 37 candidates who filed Friday at the Clark County Government Center. The Democrat filed for Assembly District 15, a seat he held in 1993. Toomin, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Township Constable's office, waited until two seconds before 5 p.m. to file.

"I waited to give the incumbent, Elliot Anderson, two weeks of heartburn," Toomin said, laughing.

Here's a look at the key races:

SENATE

On the Republican side, Heller faces four GOP candidates, all of them perennial contenders with little money or support. Berkley must contend with five Democrats, including a Las Vegas businessman Barry Ellsworth, her biggest threat. The entrepreneur is involved in renewable energy.

Ellsworth said he is angry at Congress for allowing Wall Street and the financial industry to run wild and unregulated, leading to the nation's economic collapse and the housing crisis.

1st CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Titus has a clear path to the seat Berkley is giving up to run for the Senate. Earlier this year, Democratic state Sen. Ruben Kihuen dropped out, ceding her the nomination. The district is more than 50 percent Democratic by voter registration compared with about 26 percent Republican.

Five Republicans are running for the urban district that covers Las Vegas and parts of North Las Vegas. One Libertarian and one member of the Independent American Party also filed.

The most aggressive GOP candidate has been Chris Edwards, a retired naval officer. He has been attending many campaign events . He blames Titus and others in Congress for policies that he said haven't helped the economic recovery. Titus lost a congressional race to Heck in 2010 and a gubernatorial race in 2006.

3rd CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

As the incumbent with GOP backing, Heck is expected to easily win the GOP primary.

On the Democratic side, the party supports Oceguera, the heavy favorite to defeat four other Democrats. One Independent American Party candidate also filed as well as one nonpartisan contender.

The battle for this swing district, which covers Henderson and large swaths of Clark County, is expected to be one of the closest in the nation as both parties pour money and effort into the race.

4th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Horsford, a Democrat , would be the first black member of Congress from Nevada if he wins the new district. It covers parts of Clark and Lyon counties as well as all of rural Esmeralda, Lincoln, Mineral, Nye and White Pine counties. State Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, dropped out to run for re-election instead.

The district leans toward Democrats, who have a 10 percentage point voter registration advantage over Republicans. The GOP hopes the rural counties can give a Republican a shot.

On the GOP side, the competition is fierce with nine Republicans running. The leading contenders are Danny Tarkanian, state Sen. Barbara Cegavske and Las Vegas businessman Dan Schwartz.

One Independent American Party candidate and one Libertarian contender also filed.

Tarkanian has run for public office three times, including in the 2010 GOP primary for U.S. Senate. He has a base of support and high name recognition, giving him a big edge in early polls.

Cegavske, a longtime state legislator, has one of the most conservative voting records in the Senate.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Kristi Jourdan contributed to this story. Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow @lmyerslvrj on Twitter.