Nevada GOP chairman joins House special election race

The GOP field for former Rep. Dean Heller's (R-Nev.) House seat continues to swell despite concern from party strategists that multiple Republican candidates on the ballot will give Democrats an advantage.



Mark Amodei, the chairman of the state Republican Party, announced Monday at a press conference in Carson City that he was joining the special election for the 2nd district seat. Amodei entered a Republican field that already includes former Senate candidate Sharron Angle, state Sen. Greg Brower and Navy veteran Kirk Lippold.



The Sept. 13 vote has a free-for-all format, which means that all candidates compete without the nomination of their party. The state GOP is challenging that format in court.

Asked about a conflict between his role as chairman and a candidate in the special election, Amodei said he isn't directly involved in the party's lawsuit and that he plans to resign his position "well in advance" of the June 18 meeting where it will elect a successor. In the meantime, he noted, the party had no formal meetings planned and would only hold two conference calls, which he wouldn't participate in.

"Amodei will be campaigning and not doing any state party business," Amodei told The Ballot Box. "I don’t see a conflict issue."

The chairman, who spent two decades in the state Legislature, billed himself as the strongest Republican candidate and said he didn’t think his entry into the race made it more difficult for his party to win. "You've got to have Republicans in the race who are capable of winning the race," he said. "Obviously, I think that's me."

Amodei said he spoke with Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki (R) — who opted against running in the special election — before deciding to get into the race. "If this had been a regular cycle, we'd probably both be in the primary," he said.

During the special election campaign, Amodei said he plans to reach out to Democrats and Independents in addition to appealing to Republicans. "I do think you have to talk to them," he said. 

Angle is one candidate who may have trouble cultivating her appeal beyond the GOP base, but Amodei wouldn't dismiss her chances. "You can't ever count Sharron out," he said. "I'm certainly not going to do that."

Meanwhile, if the party's attempt to change the open format fails, the state Republicans may choose to back a candidate, according to a Nevada Republican source. Even if he or she isn't the designated nominee on the ballot, it would help tilt the scales. Amodei would be the runaway favorite for that type of endorsement, but said he had "no knowledge" of the party's plans.

On the Democratic side, the state party is staying neutral, officials say, despite facing a similar challenge because of a bevy of candidates running for the seat. 

Former congressional candidates Jill Derby and Nancy Price have remained in the race despite the entry of state Treasurer Kate Marshall into the field on May 4. But the Democratic field could change ahead of the May 25 filing deadline.

Heller was sworn in as the junior senator from Nevada on Monday, replacing former Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.).

--This post was originally published at 1:37 p.m.