I spoke to The Guardian‘s Ben Jacobs for Lauren Gambino‘s article on the state of play in Nevada’s US Senate race.
Liam Donovan, a former operative at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Tarkanian is less a threat to Heller in the primary as he is an urgent distraction from what promises to be a grueling general election race. Donovan noted that the Nevada Republican is “already among the only targets that Democrats have and is going to have a lot thrown at him”.
Read the full piece here.
Tarkanian’s entry into the race is hardly a good thing for Heller. Anything with the potential to drain resources and take your eye of the general election ball is counterproductive. That said, Tarkanian is a 5-time loser with a trail of personal baggage and debt, one who just happens to have a famous last name. And with Heller falling into line on health care after a shot across the bow from Trump political allies, even the predicate for Tark’s candidacy is underwhelming. Short of unanticipated White House involvement I suspect it will look a lot like the 2016 race where fellow retread Susan Angle tried a comeback and failed to get traction. In the end Senator Heller has more to fear from Trump-related political tension and the state’s dreaded “None of These Candidates” line than he does Danny Tarkanian.