Danny Tarkanian announced today he's running for Congress in Nevada's 3rd district instead of for the U.S. Senate, per the Nevada Independent.
Why it matters: Dean Heller is defending one of the most vulnerable Republican-held seats, as he's the only GOP senator up for re-election in 2018 who represents a state Hillary Clinton won in 2016.
Just minutes before the announcement, President Trump publicly nudged Tarkanian — who is backed by Steve Bannon and was running against incumbent Dean Heller in the Nevada Senate race — to instead run for the House of Representatives.
Today is the filing deadline for candidates running in Nevada. Tarkanian joins a crowded primary in NV-03: there are six Democratic candidates running and eight Republicans. Although the district has a Democratic representative, Rep. Jacky Rosen, the Cook Political Report lists it as a toss-up race with R+2 partisan voter index.
How it happened: President Trump's office contacted Tarkanian about switching races earlier in the week, per the Nevada Independent, but he wasn't convinced then. He said he wouldn't switch to a congressional race unless Trump made it known publicly that that's what he wanted, which he eventually did via a tweet.
One more thing: Rep. Rosen is vacating her NV-03 House seat to run against Sen. Heller in the U.S. Senate race.
