Las Vegas councilman launches bid to unseat Dem rep in swing seat

A Las Vegas Republican city councilman is launching a bid to challenge freshman Rep. Ruben Kihuen (D-Nev.), who represents a top swing seat, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Stavros Anthony, a former Metropolitan Police Department captain, has filed to run for Congress in the Las Vegas-area district. He’s served on the city council since 2009 and was reelected to a third term in April. Anthony unsuccessfully ran for Las Vegas mayor in 2015.

Kihuen challenged then-Rep. Cresent Hardy (R-Nev.) for his swing seat in the 2016 election and ultimately defeated him by 4 percentage points. Given his larger victory, the seat has now become more Democratic-leaning and will present a tougher challenge for Republicans in 2018.

{mosads}The 4th District, which was created in 2012 after the 2010 census, has flipped between both parties the last three cycles. Former Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford was first elected to the seat in 2012, but lost reelection to Hardy in 2014, which was a year of major GOP gains. But then Hardy lost reelection the following cycle to Kihuen.

Democrats faced losses across the board in the 2016 elections, but the party performed well in Nevada, with Hillary Clinton carrying the state and Democrats keeping Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid’s seat and also flipping two House seats, which included the 4th District.

Another swing seat in Nevada is freshman Rep. Jacky Rosen’s (D) district, which is now open since she’s opting instead to run against Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) next year.

Republicans are largely on defense in the 2018 midterms, hoping to preserve their House majority. Democrats will need to flip 24 seats to take back the lower chamber. But Nevada’s 4th District presents an opportunity for Republicans to try to flip a seat.