Ensign nonfactor in his own re-election

Nevada is preparing to host its second consecutive high profile U.S. Senate race in 2012, a potential high-cost, bang-up affair featuring intriguing potential candidates for both the Democrats and Republicans.

"The funny thing is, neither side has bothered to tell GOP incumbent Sen. John Ensign he's not one of the candidates,"  National Journal reporter and analyst Reid Wilson says in a piece this morning.
   
Republicans are frustrated that ethics-embattled Ensign is still in the race when the conventional wisdom is that Rep. Dean Heller would be a stronger GOP candidate, according to the piece. Heller's release of a very favorable poll this week is a sign he is all but in.

Likewise, Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley says she is still thinking about running but her three-day trip to Reno this month plus the fact she is polling and holding focus groups point to a run.

"Neither Berkley nor Heller are officially in. But candidates who make it this far in the process—polling and traveling—rarely pass on making it official," Wilson writes.

"Whether Ensign stays in the race is almost irrelevant to both parties," Wilson writes. "If he stays, he loses to Heller. If he drops out, it will have little discernable impact. That gives Nevada its second chance in two years to host a premier Senate matchup, one that neither party can count on, and in which both must invest."