LAS VEGAS - Former U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle is back and once again running for Congress.
"Today, I'm announcing I am running for the United States Congress. The effort to bring the people's voice back into government did not end in 2010," she told supporters in a YouTube video. "The 2010 election was bittersweet. Conservatives had some victories, but we still face obstacles from Democrats in Congress and the White House."
Watch Sharron Angle's YouTube Video
Last year, Angle lost a race for U.S. Senate to Senator Harry Reid (Nevada-D) by six percentage points. Now, she's seeking the U.S. House seat being vacated by Congressman Dean Heller (Nevada-R). Heller announced earlier this week that he will seek the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. John Ensign (Nevada-R).
Ryan Erwin is a conservative political consultant. One of his clients is Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki (Nevada-R), who may challenge Angle in the Congressional District Two primary.
"Sharron's entry into this race is probably the worst-kept secret in Nevada politics," Erwin said. "I think Sharron has got some serious challenges and really an uphill battle. Nearly 100 percent of the electorate knows her and has an opinion of her, and of those who have an opinion of her, it's not terribly favorable."
District Two is huge, rural and heavily Republican. Its boundaries will change, however, when a fourth district is added based on the 2010 Census data.
Democrats say their challenger will be competitive.
"The bottom line is Nevada is going to benefit from this," said Democratic political consultant Ronni Council. "I love the fact that the Republican side is going to have a competitive race, and I think that does nothing but help the overall process."
The themes heard in the bitter 2010 Senate battle are sure to carry over in Campaign 2012.
Other Republican contenders could include State Senator Greg Brower (Washoe-R) and State GOP Chairman Mark Amodei.
On the Democratic ticket, possible candidates include former Congressional candidate Jill Derby, State Assemblywoman Debbie Smith (Washoe-D), and Nevada Treasurer Kate Marshall.
Numerous calls to Sharron Angle were not returned.
