Heavily Contested Nevada Senate Race Pits Republicans Against Each Other

June 7, 2010— -- Nevada Republicans are hoping to build on the nation's anti-incumbency fervor to defeat longtime Sen. Harry Reid, but the battle for that coveted spot has pitted Republicans against each other, with nearly a dozen candidates vying for the coveted GOP nomination.

Senate Majority Leader Reid's popularity has plummeted in recent months. Earlier this year, more than half of Nevadans had an unfavorable opinion of Reid, according to various polls. But recent surveys show a slight decline in those numbers -- a Mason-Dixon survey conducted last month showed that nearly half of Nevadans -- 49 percent -- had an unfavorable view of the longtime senator.

Some political analysts say Reid has the bitter battle between Republican candidates to thank for that uptick.

There are nearly a dozen candidates vying for the Republican spot, with top candidates in neck-and-neck races as the primaries near.

2010 Elections Map: Follow the Senate, House and Governors' Races

"With the number of choices people are going to have on the ballot, that may be enough for him [Reid] to win," said political analyst Jon Ralston. "He needs to drive the negatives in the Republicans because his positives are not going to go up that much more."

Tea Party favorite and former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle has surged in polls in recent weeks, above former state GOP chair Sue Lowden, favored by the state's Republican establishment. Businessman Danny Tarkanian, son of the legendary UNLV basketball coach, is also trailing closely behind.

Lowden has attempted to link Angle to the Church of Scientology in her campaign ads, hoping to derail her campaign. Lowden, who was ahead in polls for weeks until recently, herself has come under fire for campaign contributions.

Reid's campaign has explicitly targeted Lowden, who is seen as the best candidate to defeat the incumbent, in recent polls. Democrats have also seized on a statement Lowden made, saying people in the past used to barter chickens for services such as health care.

Her opponents charge that her gaffes show she is not prepared to run against Reid.

Besides the chicken bartering comment, the "second mistake she's made has been she accepted an RV bus worth over $100,000, and she's failed to pay for it," Tarkanian said on "Top Line" Thursday. "She's had different answers on all of these, and she's been exposed as not being completely honest on that issue. Those two issues, I believe, have shown that her campaign is not prepared to run against a guy like Harry Reid."

But political analysts say Lowden, with her moderate stance on key issues compared to her competition, still would make the November election tougher for Reid than Angle.

"Even though Lowden is very badly damaged with her very poor primary campaign perform[ance], Reid's people would rather face Sharron Angle because she is easier to pull independents away from," Ralston said. "Reid needs to pull some of those to win."