On Tuesday, Sharron Angle released a statement suggesting that she would not run in a special election to fill the seat that is about to vacated by Dean Heller, who has been appointed by Gov. Sandoval to fill the Senate seat vacated by John Ensign. But, in a Friday fundraising email, Angle seems to have changed her mind, telling supporters that she is running.
“I look forward to running in a legitimate campaign cycle where all registered voters are able to participate in both a primary and general election,” Angle said in a statement Tuesday. “A Special Election free-for-all, or a situation where party insiders nominate a candidate, does disservice to our representative democracy.”
In a fundraising email, however, Angle asked money from supporters for her run, claiming the urgency of preparing for a special election.
“A Special Election must take place in the next 180 days. I must begin to raise money immediately if Republicans intend to hold this seat,” she said.
“Instead of more than a year to prepare, I must now raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in just WEEKS.”
Apparently endorsing a ‘free-for-all’ election, Angle went on the attack, not only against Democrats, but against her own party.
“The Democrats want this seat,” she said. “The left wing of the Republican Party wants it more. Instead of an open process – already they are behind closed doors, choosing one of their own to be the preferred candidate in the race. This is exactly why I am running and why I need your help – to put an end to special interest politics!”
The rules for a special election have not yet been determined but there are two possible scenarios: what Angle calls the ‘free-for-all,’ in which any candidate who wishes to run can do so, pending approval from the secretary of state, or the ‘party insiders’ route, in which the central committee of each party picks the nominee in lieu of a primary.