Chachas endorsed by two U.S. Senate race dropouts

Maybe professional poker player Brian Nadell didn't like the hand he was dealt.

On Monday, Nadell folded, dropping out of the U.S. Senate race along with Gary Bernstein, a TV producer and another little known contender in the Repubican primary.

The two men also announced that they were endorsing John Chachas, the Wall Street banker and Ely native who returned home to Nevada to run for Sen. Harry Reid's seat.

Chachas has picked up some support from Republicans who believe his argument that he's the best candidate to help fix the economy and get government spending under control. But he hasn't been able to win more than a few percentage points of support in most polls of Nevada GOP voters ahead of the June 8 primary.

Sue Lowden and Sharron Angle are fighting it out for the lead, followed by Danny Tarkanian, as they compete for the GOP nomination and the chance to face the Democrat Reid in the fall.

The Chachas campaign put out the endorsement and drop-out announcement, which leaves 10 Republicans in the race.

Bernstein said he was backing Chachas because the investment banker has "stayed away from mudslinging and continually demonstrated his deep understanding of the issues."

In endorsing Chachas, Nadell cited protecting U.S. interests in the Middle East, saying Chachas has shown an "unequivocal commitment" to the defense of the U.S. ally, Israel, athough that hasn't been much of an issue in the U.S. Senate campaign.