The seat in U.S. House District 2 became vacant with the appointment of Representative Dean Heller to the U.S. Senate seat held by John Ensign, who resigned effective May 3, 2011. Ensign resigned due to a sex scandal and possible violations being investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee. Under Nevada law, Governor Brian Sandoval was able to select Heller to serve out Ensign's remaining term. However, the law requires that a special election be held to fill vacant U.S. House of Representative seats. This is the first such election ever in Nevada, which led to conflicts about which candidates could appear on the ballot. The matter was settled by the Nevada Supreme Court.
Some 27 candidates originally filed with the Nevada Secretary of State to run in the 2011 Special Election to fill the vacant seat in U.S. House District 2. However, the Nevada Supreme Court overturned the original interpretation of the election rules by Secretary of State Ross Miller and ruled that only candidates nominated by recognized political parties may appear on the ballot. The ruling was the result of a suit filed by the Nevada Republican Party protesting Miller's decision. As a result, only the candidates listed here will be on the ballot. U.S. House District 2 was created following the 1980 census. A Democrat has never been elected in the predominantly Republican district.
U.S. House District 2 Special Election Information
