Free Republic

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) issued the following statement in opposition to the Manchin-Toomey amendment to S. 649. “When it comes to national policy choices on issues such as Constitutional liberties, gun violence and public safety, the stakes could not be higher. The enormity of this issue has weighed heavily on me. While I was home this past weekend, my family and I ate at the Carson IHOP where four people lost their lives and several were injured. The survivors of that senseless shooting in the morning hours of September 6, 2011, deserve this debate. “I...

The Republican plan to block debate on Senate Bill 649, which requires background checks on almost all gun purchases and transfers, failed spectacularly Thursday morning when sixteen Republican Senators joined almost all of the Democrats to vote in favor opening debate on the bill. Among those voting to defeat the filibuster were 9 Democrats with “A” ratings from the National Rifle Association, and 12 A-rated Republicans (out of 16 Republican “ayes”). Two Democrats, Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK), joined the majority of Republican Senators who tried to prevent debate, much less a vote, on the bill....

Most Americans will focus on election results in Ohio and Florida to see who rides those states’ Electoral College votes into the White House. But the winner of the presidential race will not automatically control the 2013 legislative agenda. Congress still matters. The battle for control of the U.S. Senate is vitally important and just as hard-fought as the top-of-the-ticket contest. Currently, a caucus of 51 Democrats and two liberal Independents rule the upper chamber. Since the Vice President can cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate, Republicans would have to pick up three seats to gain a working majority...

Harry Reid's future as U.S. Senate majority leader may hinge on whether fellow Nevada Democrat Shelley Berkley can survive an ethics probe involving her kidney doctor husband's businesses. The House of Representatives Ethics Committee announced in July it was investigating Berkley, a seven-term congresswoman, over whether some of her actions as a legislator were meant to benefit her husband financially. The news comes at a bad time for Berkley, who is locked in one of the country's closest Senate races against Dean Heller, even before news of the ethics probe. Polls since have shown her trailing the Republican ahead of...

The Nevada U.S. Senate race is one of the most important in the general election. It is critical that we hold the seat, and there are good reasons for conservatives to get behind Senator Heller. Incumbent Nevada Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) is challenged by Democrat Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV). Berkley won the seat in the House when Rep. John Ensign moved from the House to the Senate. When Senator Ensign resigned, Heller was a Nevada U.S. Congressman. In May 2011 he was appointed to Ensign's Senate seat. While Heller has been in the Senate for only a short while, his...

Obama to nominate nuclear official that Reid accused of lyingBy Andrew Restuccia - 04/19/12 02:30 PM ET President Obama’s decision to re-nominate Republican Kristine Svinicki to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission puts him at odds with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a vocal critic of the nuclear official. Reid stressed his opposition to Svinicki's re-nomination at a press conference Thursday and did not say whether he'd allow a floor vote on the nomination. "[T]hat's why we have a Congress, and there'll be hearings held, and we'll approach that when we have to. That's just not right now," he said, pointing...

A trio of Senate Republicans on Monday strongly urged House Republicans to embrace the payroll tax cut extension bill passed in the Senate over the weekend. Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) joined Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) and Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) in calling for the House GOP to back the two-month extension, which overwhelmingly passed the Senate by a vote of 89-10 on Saturday. All three senators are up for reelection in 2012. "There is no question we need to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance for the entire year," Heller said in a statement. "The American people deserve...

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following statement on the swearing-in of Dean Heller as the junior senator from the state of Nevada. “I welcome Dean Heller to the United States Senate.  As Dean transitions from representing a single district to the entire state, I look forward to working with him to make the tough choices that will help our state and our citizens recover.”

Nevada state Treasurer Kate Marshall (D) announced Wednesday she is running in the 2nd district special election. “Nevadans deserve a voice in Congress that will fight for middle class families, and that’s what I intend to do. I’ll work every day to create jobs in northern Nevada and win the fight to control runaway spending in Washington,” Marshall said in a statement. Marshall has Democratic company in the free-for-all contest to replace Rep. Dean Heller (R), who is expected to resign his seat in the coming days and then be sworn in Monday to fill the remaining term of former...

Tea party favorite Sharron Angle says she is running as a Republican in Nevada's first-of-its-kind special election to replace U.S. Rep. Dean Heller. Angle told supporters Friday she needs to raise $150,000 immediately to win the seat. Heller is heading to the Senate . . .

CARSON CITY, Nevada (AP) Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has named Republican Rep. Dean Heller to replace John Ensign in the U.S. Senate. The appointment announced Wednesday sets in motion a political scramble on how Heller's seat in the House will be filled. State law says a special election must be held within 180 days of a vacancy.

In a veiled attempt to change the country's talking points, the White House decided to announce that a special prosecutor would be named to investigate a dozen CIA interrogations during the Bush administration. Political pundits say this is just another ploy to change the topic from health care... Many questions remain direct and focused on health care issues. A biggie is, "Will the health care reform bill include coverage for those in this country illegally? The president continues to say absolutely not. However, there have been many attempts to add safety measures to ensure illegal aliens do not receive care...

This is part and parcel of the White House strategy on selling health care reform: ask people to put blinders on so that the intended/unintended effects of his health care reforms are ignored. Case in point: every one with an ounce of intelligence can see that Obama's proposals for reform will include health care for illegal aliens - even though it is not specifically written into any proposed bill. It will simply be the consequence of a government takeover of health care. Here's Obama yesterday on the Michael Smerconish radio show: "This has been an example of just pure misinformation...

The GOP's top choice to take on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid next year has told party officials he's decided against a run for the Senate. Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., called Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to say he had ruled out a Senate run, Amber Wilkerson, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Tuesday. Heller will seek to retain what officials consider to be a safe seat representing a largely Republican district. Heller told a Reno radio station that he was worried about missing time with his four children. "There are going to be those who say I...

Health Reform: If Democrats in Washington think their health care reform with a public option is a good thing, why have they exempted themselves from it? Why isn't what's good for their constituents good for them?During ABC's June 24 infomercial for government-run health care broadcast from the White House, President Obama was asked if he and his family would abide by the restrictions and limitations that came with his proposed reforms. In what Ed Morrissey at HotAir.com called "Obama's Michael Dukakis moment," President Obama refused to make such a pledge and confessed that if "it's my family member, if it's...

Click here to watch the videoTalk on Nevada host Andy Matthews interviews Geoffrey Lawrence, NPRI's fiscal policy analyst, on Nevada's budget situation. Geoffrey is the author of Nevada's Freedom Budget: 2009-2011, which would fund priorities, eliminate waste and save Nevada over $1.7 billion compared to the legislature's budget. Andy and Geoffrey also talk about legislature's proposed job-killing, record-setting, billion dollar tax increase,

Secretary of State Dean Heller barely defeated state Assemblywoman Sharron Angle in a hotly contested GOP primary battle for Nevada's sprawling 2nd Congressional District seat that stretched into the early morning hours Wednesday. With all but a handful of votes tallied, Heller had 24,771 votes, or 36 percent. Angle had 24,334 votes, or 35 percent - 427 less. Former Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons, wife of incumbent GOP Rep. Jim Gibbons, had 17,320 votes, or 25 percent.

Nevada's U.S. Sen. Reid raises $6.2 million for re-election bid CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has raised $6.2 million for his re-election bid, $1 million more than he collected during his entire 1998 campaign. Reid, the Senate's assistant minority leader, announced his fund-raising total in filing his year-end financial disclosure statement with the Federal Election Commission. The total includes about $4.4 million from individual donors and the rest from political action committees. The 2003 report shows Reid raised $1.1 million in the last three months of the year and now has $4.3 million cash on hand....

WASHINGTON (AP) - The chairman of the Democratic National Committee said Thursday that Nevada's five electoral votes are key to a Democratic presidential win and the party hopes to take back the state this year. "We feel very competitive that we can win out there in Nevada, it's a very good state for us," DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe told Nevada reporters in a conference call. "It obviously is a key, key state to the party. We need the Electoral College votes," he said. President Bush beat Al Gore in Nevada 49.5 percent to 45.9 percent in 2000, and Republicans edge...

<p>Nevada’s voter registration increased to 912,346 in December, continuing a climb toward the 1 million mark, Secretary of State Dean Heller said Wednesday.</p> <p>The latest totals show there are 376,386 registered Republicans and 367,943 registered Democrats, a difference of 8,443. There are 139,475 nonpartisans; 17,707 Independent Americans; 5,204 Libertarians; 2,710 Greens; 976 Natural Laws; 196 Reform Party members; and 1,749 “others.”</p>