18 races to follow for the 2018 midterms

14. Nevada Senate

Candidates: Republican incumbent Dean Heller vs. Democratic challenger Jacky Rosen

While the races for Representatives are important, it’s worth remembering that delegates elected to the House of Representatives are only going to be there for an assured two-year term. Re-elections may happen, of course, but nothing is certain beyond those two years.

Senators, on the other hand, take on a longer six-year term. Depending on when they were elected, a senator could be up for more campaigning during midterm elections or the more press-heavy presidential election years.

This year, one seat in Nevada is up for grabs, and it’s one where Democrats might actually win it. Moreover, Nevada is one of those swing states that makes practically everyone nervous. Generally speaking, whoever wins Nevada during a presidential election wins the White House, pointing to its powerful predictive status. There are only two exceptions to this rule in the past 100 years: the 1976 elections won by Jimmy Carter, and those of 2016.

Right now, this seat is held by Senator Dean Heller, who was appointed by Governor Brian Sandoval in 2011 and successfully ran for the seat in 2012. However, he won by less than 12,000 votes, a small margin that could make any campaign manager break out in hives.

Heller is running against Jacky Rosen, currently a U.S. Representative from Nevada’s 3rd District. She might be able to take advantage of Heller’s somewhat shaky hold on the seat. Both Heller and Rosen will likely focus on healthcare (Heller supported repeal of the ACA) and immigration, two issues that are at the top of Nevada voters’ minds.

Campaign website for Dean Heller: https://www.deanheller.com/
Campaign website for Jacky Rosen: https://rosenfornevada.com/