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Thursday, Apr 14, 2011 4:25 PM UTC

Berkley announces bid for Ensign seat in Senate

Democratic Congresswoman Shelley Berkley is the second person, after lawyer Byron Georgiou, to enter the race

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Topics: John Ensign,

Berkley announces bid for Ensign seat in SenateNevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley

Congresswoman Shelley Berkeley will run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Nevada Republican John Ensign.

Berkeley’s campaign released a statement Thursday in Washington putting the seven-term Democrat from Las Vegas in a race against northern Nevada GOP Congressman Dean Heller.

Berkeley and Heller each easily won re-election in November, and have been considered front-runners to replace Ensign since he announced in March that he won’t seek a third term. A Democratic lawyer, Byron Georgiou, is also in the race.

Berkeley’s 60 and a liberal Democrat. She’s a former state assemblywoman elected in 1999 to a congressional seat formerly held by Ensign.

Berkeley has tried in recent months to extend unemployment benefits and provide relief for struggling homeowners in a state with the nation’s highest jobless and foreclosure rates.

More Oskar Garcia.

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