Krolicki won’t run for U.S. Senate

Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki said today he won't run for Sen. Harry Reid's U.S. Senate seat, partly because he couldn't put together a strong enough grass-roots campaign team that could defeat what he called a crowded "Republican scrum" of primary candidates.

Instead, Krolicki said he would run for re-election and focus on trying to repair the dismal Nevada economy and promote tourism in order to attract visitors the gaming state needs to recover.

"I think we would have had a very competitive campaign," Krolicki said in a teleconference with reporters. But he added that all the arrows didn't point toward him running.

"At the end of the day, looking at my family and the needs of those in Nevada, running for re-election for lieutenant governor is the most important thing that I could do."

Krolicki currently doesn't have any primary opponent for lieutenant governor.

A key reason Krolicki decided not to run for U.S. Senate is it would have pitted him against several strong Republican primary opponents and hurt the party's efforts to defeat Reid, several GOP sources told the Las Vegas Review-Journal ahead of his announcement.

Krolicki said he's confident the top remaining GOP candidates can beat Reid, but he refused to endorse anyone in the race, saying a top contender will emerge before the June 8 primary election.

"I do believe that there are several individuals who can beat Harry Reid. This has always been a discussion on my part on how and who can best help Senator Reid in his well-deserved retirement," Krolicki said. "And I believe we have candidates who can do that."

Krolicki called his potential GOP opponents before his announcement to tell them directly that he had decided against a Senate run.

Front-runners in the GOP primary are former state Sen. Sue Lowden, businessman and former UNLV basketball player Danny Tarkanian, and former Reno assemblywoman Sharron Angle.

John Chachas, an investment banker returning to Nevada to run a largely self-financed campaign, also is in the U.S. Senate race and played a role in Krolicki's decision. The man currently running Chachas' campaign -- Ryan Erwin -- said he couldn't help Krolicki if he ran for the U.S. Senate, and the lieutenant governor said this was a factor in his decision not to seek higher office. Also, Krolicki said many vital GOP grass-roots organizers already had signed on to other campaigns.

Contact reporter Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.