Nevada Senate: Open Seat Remains Lean Republican

March 7, 2011 · 2:32 PM EST

Sen. John Ensign’s (R) retirement announcement isn’t that surprising and doesn’t change our initial bottom line in Nevada since we didn’t expect him to make it out of a primary if he sought reelection.

With Cong. Dean Heller (R) as a likely candidate, Republicans are well-positioned to hold the open Senate seat. Of course it’s still very early in the race and it’s unclear who Democrats will nominate, but the race remains Lean Republican for now.