NV Secy of State Dean Heller is
not running against Reid, leaving only an anti-gay crackpot who has no GOP backing as Reid's opponent. Significantly, Reid reportedly has at least $3m in the bank, which is an awful lot of money in a relatively inexpensive media state. This could be a help for the Dem nominee in the state, for the NV-3 congressional race if its contested, and for other Dem Senate candidates Reid may support.
It also signals that the state GOP is facing a serious internal rift, between the establishment party which is not (in relative terms) socially and fiscally moderate and good-government oriented (and strongly oriented towards bipartisan cooperation at both the state and federal level, evident in Sen Ensign's tacit support for Reid's re-election) and the antitax wingnuts and theocratic zealots (not the same group) who are a growing minority within the state GOP. (Evident in yesterday's odd event, in wihch an incumbent republican governor speaking to a "tax-payer's group" was ambushed by criticism from conservatives who now see California's budget deficit as a model for NV.)
Its still a strongly antitax, conservative state in many respects but if the state Dems could get their act together...
In the meantime, Reid -- who seemed a year ago at best an underdog for re-election -- is on pretty solid ground.