Heller Appointed By Nevada Governor To Fill Ensign's Seat

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval today tapped U.S. Rep Dean Heller (R-Nev.) to replace outgoing Sen. John Ensign (R), who will resign from the Senate next week.

With deficit reduction dominating the Republican agenda these days, Sandoval said that Heller’s fiscal outlook made him an easy choice to succeed Ensign.

“A fiscal conservative who believes in limited government, Dean will fight to keep taxes low and balance the federal budget,” Sandoval said. “He understands that the federal government spends too much money and places too many regulatory burdens on small business.”

Ensign announced last week that he would resign three-quarters of the way into his second term in office. The 53-year-old Republican has been the subject of a lengthily investigation into whether he violated Senate ethics rules in the aftermath of an affair he had with the wife of a former aide. It is believed that Ensign made the decision after being informed that his case would go to trial before the Senate Ethics Committee.

In a statement, Nevada’s Senior Senator, Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said he looks forward to working with Heller.

“I welcome Dean to the Senate. As his responsibilities shift to representing all Nevadans, rather than a single district of our state, I am confident he will work with me and members of both parties to address the serious challenges facing Nevada and the nation.”

Sandoval, who became Governor earlier this year, must now get to work on filling Heller’s House seat. Nevada law requires a special election to be held no more than 180 days after a vacancy opens up.