Sharron Angle still retains a hard core of social conservative supporters in Nevada, but a large and growing number of GOP primary voters appear to be suffering “Angle fatigue.” You can only lose so many races – Angle has now lost three in a row – before people, even people who like you, start looking for a winner instead.
So many Angle supporters are urging her, if she plans to run again in 2012 (and she does), to seek the 2nd congressional district seat being vacated by Rep. Dean Heller rather than challenging Heller for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Ensign.
CD 2 is far more conservative than Nevada is statewide. And Angle’s chances in a multi-candidate race for Congress would appear to be much better than a head-to-head primary with Heller, to whom she lost in 2006 in an earlier bid for CD 2.
On the other hand, some Republicans who are tired of Angle and are still ticked off at how she blew the opportunity to take out Harry Reid last year, are secretly hoping she jumps into the Senate race. They believe her national fundraising support is a mile wide and inch thick; that all those millions of dollars went to beat Reid, not elect Sharron….and won’t be there for a run against Heller.
As such, they believe Heller would crush Angle in the GOP primary and thus drive her out of elective politics in Nevada once and for all. Alas, they acknowledge that Angle knows she can’t beat Heller and will play the odds, roll the dice and opt for a second run at the CD 2 seat. Of course, it’s still possible she could come up with snake eyes in that race, as well. Pretty big gamble with high stakes either way.
