Trump Talks Republican Primary Challenger Danny Tarkanian Out of Senate Bid
Photo by David Becker/Getty
Nevada’s Danny Tarkanian had planned to challenge incumbent Senator Dean Heller in the state’s Republican Senate primary, but will now run for the House after some advice from President Trump.
Trump tweeted that Tarkanian should run for the House, so that Heller can run for the Senate unopposed and Tarkanian swiftly agreed.
It would be great for the Republican Party of Nevada, and it’s unity if good guy Danny Tarkanian would run for Congress and Dean Heller, who is doing a really good job, could run for Senate unopposed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 16, 2018
.@POTUS is adamant that a unified GOP ticket in Nevada is the best direction for the America First movement. Thank you Mr. President for your full support & endorsement, I’m filing to run again in CD3 with the firm belief that we will finish what we started in 2016 & win in 2018. https://t.co/w3Fwqric73
— Danny Tarkanian (@DannyTarkanian) March 16, 2018
Tarkanian ran for that same seat in 2016 and lost to Democrat Rep. Jacky Rosen by just one point, but the seat is now open because Rosen is running for Senate. Tarkanian said, “I am confident I would have won the U.S. Senate race and done a great job representing the people of Nevada in the Senate, but the President is adamant that a unified Republican ticket in Nevada is the best direction for the America First movement.”
It seems Trump and his team are so hyper-focused on Heller’s race because Clinton won Nevada by just 2 points in 2016 and Democrats will be hell-bent on flipping that seat.
Tarkanian is a vocal supporter of President Trump (Tarkanian’s official Twitter account features a pinned tweet, with a photo of Trump getting sworn in, that says “RT if you’re proud of Making America Great Again!”) and he’s certainly further to the right than Heller. On Twitter, he regularly uses Trump catchphrases like “FAKE NEWS” and “MAGA” while referring to Heller as part of the “Swamp.” In 2016, Tarkanian held an 86% approval rating from the NRA and is staunchly opposed to a woman’s right to choose. Along with Trump, Tarkanian has also received support from former White House strategist Steve Bannon.
Heller will likely face Rosen in the general election for Nevada senator, as Rosen is the leading Democratic candidate.