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2012 United States Senate election in Nevada

See also: 2012 United States Senate elections

The 2012 United States Senate election in Nevada was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and the 2012 presidential election. The primary election was held June 12, 2012.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Dean Heller, who was appointed to his seat in May 2011 following the resignation of Senator John Ensign, was narrowly elected to his first full term over Representative Shelley Berkley, despite President Barack Obama carrying the state by 6.7% in the concurrent presidential election. As a result, Heller became the only Republican Senate candidate in 2012 to win in a state that was lost by the Republican presidential candidate. With a margin of 1.2%, this election was the second-closest race of the 2012 Senate election cycle, behind only the election in North Dakota. As of 2022, this is the last time that Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in Nevada.

Background

Ensign was reelected to the United States Senate in 2006 against Jack Carter, son of former president Jimmy Carter, by a margin of 55–41%. His reelection campaign was expected to be complicated after it was revealed in 2009 that he had been involved in an extramarital affair with the wife of one of his campaign staffers, allegedly made payments to the woman's family and arranged work for her husband to cover himself.

The Senate Ethics Committee was to investigate Ensign, and his poll numbers declined significantly. There was speculation that he might resign before the election, but he initially said he would run for reelection. On March 7, 2011, Ensign announced that he would not seek reelection, and on April 22, he announced that he would resign effective May 3.

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval appointed U.S. Representative Dean Heller to fill the vacancy created by Ensign's resignation. Heller took office on May 9, 2011.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominated

Dean Heller, incumbent U.S. Senator, former U.S. Representative, former Nevada Secretary of State and former state assemblyman

Eliminated in primary

Sherry Brooks, retired secretary
Richard Charles
Eddie Hamilton, retired auto executive and perennial candidate
Carlo Poliak, sanitation worker and perennial candidate
David Lory Vanderbeek, marriage and family therapist

Declined

Sharron Angle, 2010 Republican Senate nominee and former state assemblywoman
John Ensign, former U.S. Senator
Brian Krolicki, lieutenant governor

Polling

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominated

Shelley Berkley, U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

Steve Brown, businessman
Barry Ellsworth, renewable energy executive
Louis Macias, art dealer
Nancy Price, former Regent of the Nevada System of Higher Education and Democratic nominee for the 2nd congressional district in 2010

Withdrew

Byron Georgiou, businessman

Polling

Results

General election

Candidates

Shelley Berkley (D), U.S. Representative
Dean Heller (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
David Lory VanDerBeek (Independent American Party of Nevada), therapist

Debates

The first Berkley-Heller debate was on September 27, 2012. They met again in Las Vegas on October 11 and on Jon Ralston's "Face to Face" program on October 15.