It appears Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) may finally have some competition for his seat next year, as Jack Carter (son of Jimmy Carter)
officially announced his candidacy yesterday. Reid's press secretary still sounds reluctant to support Carter: "He and Sen. Ensign never criticize each other and that wouldn't change," Hafen said. "They have a good working relationship and they have a friendship. That is just something they have agreed to."
The article quotes Erik Herzik, a political scientist at the University of Nevada, Reno, who makes it sound like any challenge to Ensign is a long shot. While that may well be true, keep in mind that Herzik is a very partisan Republican who is often quoted by Nevada papers (particularly the RGJ) as a "non-biased" observer.
The comments from Reid's press secretary are a bit more unnerving. I'm unclear on whether Reid believes that Carter isn't a decent candidate (which seems to be Carter's take), whether he actually likes Ensign, whether he believes it's a hopeless cause, or whether his office just hasn't figured out its position yet and his press secretary was blindsided. In any event, hopefully we'll be hearing a different tune coming from him over the next thirteen months.
Like his father before him, Carter wants to rely on his small town roots, using the ever-popular "I'm a peanut farmer from a small town" that got his father elected. It might not be a bad idea in a state where Reid was elected at least partially because he can relate to small town Nevadans (as he grew up in Searchlight).
Carter's campaign seems to be following a lot of the net roots activists by linking Ensign to the President and then tarring them both for their failed policies. To that effect, many local activists are lining up behind him, as they're delighted to finally have a Democrat running.
In short, it ought to make the next year at least a little more interesting in Nevada. And hopefully it will draw money away from some of the other states where the Dems have a better chance of picking up seats.