Three-term Rep. Joe Heck has won the Republican primary for Harry Reid's U.S. Senate seat.
The southern Nevada congressman and military general beat a slate of Republican candidates including Sharron Angle, a tea party favorite who lost a competitive Senate race against Reid in 2010.
Lesser-known Republican candidates on the ballot included D'Nese Davis, Eddie Hamilton, Thomas Heck, Robert Leeds, Carlo Poliak, Juston Preble and Bill Tarbell.
Heck will face Democratic former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto in November.
The race for Reid's seat is expected to be one of the country's most important Senate contests because it could determine which party clinches the majority.
Outside groups have already started reserving millions of dollars in airtime to run commercials into the fall.
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Senator Roger F. Wicker, NRSC Chairman, released the following statement following Dr. Joe Heck’s primary victory in Nevada:
“Joe Heck is a soldier, a doctor, a small businessman, and a strong, independent voice for Nevada. Dr. Heck works around the clock to ensure that Nevadans live in a state where workers can find good jobs, parents can obtain a high-quality education for their children, and families remain safe in an unsafe world. He has been a leader when it comes to taking care of our troops and our veterans, and he’s forcefully opposed President Obama’s reckless nuclear agreement with Iran.
“Nevadans have a very clear choice before them. Joe Heck is a dedicated public servant who has committed his life to his country. Catherine Cortez Masto is Harry Reid’s handpicked successor, the one person Senator Reid entrusted with carrying his destructive, partisan legacy for another generation. Dr. Heck will ably serve Nevadans in the U.S. Senate and he will be a great leader as a member of our Republican majority.”
