Heller's decision to pass on the governor's race leaves the field to replace him wide open. | Getty Heller to run for reelection, not governor, in Nevada

Republican Sen. Dean Heller announced Thursday that he will run for reelection in Nevada in 2018, after saying earlier this month that he was considering a bid for governor.

"My family and I have put much thought and prayer in considering the best way to serve the state that we love," Heller wrote on his Facebook page. "I believe serving and running for re-election as Nevada’s senior Senator is where I can do the most good and have the biggest impact for Nevada. Serving as governor would be an enormous honor, but I am looking forward to being Nevada’s strongest voice on Capitol Hill."


Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval is in the middle of his second term and cannot run again in 2018. Heller is one of just eight GOP senators up for reelection in 2018, and he is the only one from a state Hillary Clinton carried. He is set to be Democrats' top Senate target in an election that will mostly have the party on defense around the country. It is unclear who Democrats might nominate to oppose Heller, though.

Heller had confirmed he was thinking about running for governor after the 2016 election.

“Oh, I’m looking at it. That’s my comment,” Heller said earlier this month when asked about the governor’s race. “I enjoy being in the Senate, don’t get me wrong. (But) I have to say, outside of Alaska and Hawaii, I think I have one of the worst commutes.”

Heller's decision to pass on the governor's race leaves the field to replace Sandoval wide open. Several potential Republican candidates have been waiting for the senator to make a decision before making their own, according to state political operatives. Possible Republican candidates include state Attorney General Adam Laxalt and Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison.

On the Democratic side, one candidate has signaled his interest: Steve Sisolak, a Clark County commissioner with more than $2 million in the bank, who eyed the governor's race in 2014 but opted against it.

Burgess Everett contributed to this report.