Democratic House candidate Lucy Flores
On Wednesday, former Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, who was the Democrats' 2014 nominee for lieutenant governor,
kicked off a bid against freshman Republican Rep. Cresent Hardy. So far, Flores only faces state Sen. Ruben Kihuen in the primary, though several other metro Las Vegas Democrats are eyeing the seat. Hardy lucked into a blue seat
Obama won by 10 points, and he's not going to have an easy time holding on next year with presidential turnout likely to boost Democratic fortunes.
Flores badly lost last year's lieutenant governor race by a 59-34 margin, though it might be unfair to blame her for the wide defeat. Democratic turnout was terrible thanks not just to the GOP wave but because Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval was left virtually unopposed at the top of the ticket, leading to a landslide win for him and surprising victories for his party further down the ballot. (These same circumstances contributed to Hardy's unexpected win over Rep. Steven Horsford.)
Flores also has an interesting life story: She grew up poor, joined a gang as a teenager, and even served time in a juvenile detention center, but she later turned her life around in dramatic fashion. Even though both Kihuen and Flores are well-liked by retiring Sen. Harry Reid, the Silver State's number-one political power-broker, the primary might very well get crowded, and Flores's background could help her stand out from the pack.