Swordsmyth
03-16-2018, 03:38 PM
Danny Tarkanian, a perennial Republican candidate who had planned a primary challenge to Sen. Dean Heller (http://thehill.com/people/dean-heller) (R-Nev.), will now run for the House instead after President Trump (http://thehill.com/people/donald-trump) convinced him to halt his Senate bid.
Tarkanian had been positioning himself for a run to Heller's right, blasting the incumbent as a weak ally to Trump. But in what appeared to be an orchestrated move, Trump endorsed a Tarkanian House bid on Twitter on Friday, then Tarkanian quickly switched to the House bid.
The first public inkling of the plan came from Trump's tweet on Friday afternoon, hours before the filing deadline in Nevada.
"It would be great for the Republican Party of Nevada, and its 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!" he tweeted.
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 (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/974683485322596352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Shortly after, Tarkanian's campaign announced he'd run for Congress in the 3rd district. Tarkanian ran for that seat in 2016 and lost to Rep. Jacky Rosen (http://thehill.com/people/jacklyn-jacky-rosen) (D), but that seat is now open because Rosen is running for Senate.
More at: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/378800-trump-calls-for-tarkanian-to-drop-heller-senate-challenge
Tarkanian had been positioning himself for a run to Heller's right, blasting the incumbent as a weak ally to Trump. But in what appeared to be an orchestrated move, Trump endorsed a Tarkanian House bid on Twitter on Friday, then Tarkanian quickly switched to the House bid.
The first public inkling of the plan came from Trump's tweet on Friday afternoon, hours before the filing deadline in Nevada.
"It would be great for the Republican Party of Nevada, and its 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!" he tweeted.
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 (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/974683485322596352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Shortly after, Tarkanian's campaign announced he'd run for Congress in the 3rd district. Tarkanian ran for that seat in 2016 and lost to Rep. Jacky Rosen (http://thehill.com/people/jacklyn-jacky-rosen) (D), but that seat is now open because Rosen is running for Senate.
More at: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/378800-trump-calls-for-tarkanian-to-drop-heller-senate-challenge