Nevada Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison said Friday he will not run for re-election in 2018.

Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison has announced that he will not run for re-election. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

CARSON CITY — Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison said Friday he will not run for re-election in 2018.

The Nevada Republican was elected in 2014. He also was elected to the state Senate in 2012.

In a statement, he said serving is “one of the highest and most cherished honors of my life.”

“I’m blessed with a large and growing family, which is deserving of more of my time and attention, as well as a large and growing law firm,” Hutchison said. “Therefore, the time is right for me to announce that I will not seek re-election in 2018.”

He thanked staff for their dedication and Gov. Brian Sandoval, who recruited him to run.

“In the coming days I will announce what is next and how I plan to continue to contribute to our great state,” he said.

Potential 2018 candidates

Current Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Henderson, has long been rumored to have his eye on Hutchison’s seat. Within minutes of Hutchinson’s announcement, Roberson issued a statement, although he did not announce his plans.

“You would be hard pressed to find a more energetic, substantive and thoughtful public servant than Mark Hutchison,” Roberson said. “Mark has a deep passion for serving the people of Nevada — both when he served in our state senate, and as our Lieutenant Governor. Most importantly, Mark is a wonderful and devoted family man and I am proud to call him friend. I have great respect and admiration for Mark and I will continue to support him in whatever the next chapter has in store for him.”

On the Democrat side, Ross Miller, a former two-term Secretary of State and one-time rising star in the party, confirmed that he’s been in talks with party operatives about lieutenant governor’s seat. Miller said he has not decided on whether he will run.

Miller, an attorney, told the Review-Journal Friday morning that he is enjoying private sector but noted that he “loved serving as secretary of state.”

Elected the secretary of state in 2006 and 2010, Miller narrowly lost to Republican Adam Laxalt in the attorney general race in 2014 during a red wave that saw the GOP take control of the constitutional offices and both houses of the Legislature.

Firm tied to recall efforts

Hutchison’s law firm, Hutchison & Steffen, is the legal counsel for recall efforts of three state senators.

One of the targeted legislators, Democrat Nicole Cannizzaro, holds Hutchison’s former seat in Senate District 6 in the northwest Las Vegas Valley. Cannizzaro won her seat in 2016 with a 51-49 margin against Republican Victoria Seaman.

The other two senators targeted in recall efforts are Joyce Woodhouse, a Democrat, and Patricia Farley, a nonpartisan who switched her party affiliation from Republican after the 2016 election. She was elected as a Republican in 2014. Farley, who caucused with Democratic lawmakers, won’t seek re-election in 2018.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter. Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-0661. Follow @BenBotkin1 on Twitter.