Nevada Will Get a New Senator

Sorry, Harry Reid's still around, but the other Nevada senator is going to resign after he gets his affairs in order (h/t Andy Levy for that line):

Sen. John Ensign will announce within the next 24 hours that he plans to resign from the Senate, according to a well-placed source.

The Nevada Republican announced March 7 that he would not run for re-election in 2012, saying “there are consequences to sin,” referring to an extramarital affair he admitted having with the wife of his former top aide....

Ensign’s imminent resignation is a major boost to Republicans, who expected a competitive 2012 open-seat race between Reps. Dean Heller (R) and Shelley Berkley (D). Heller announced his bid in March, and Berkley said she would run last week.

Nevada law dictates that Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) must appoint a successor who will serve out the rest of Ensign's term through 2012.

Nevada Republicans expect Sandoval to pick Heller because it gives the Congressman a leg up next year and the ability to essentially run as an incumbent.

If Heller were chosen for the Senate seat, Nevada law also states the governor has 180 days to call a special election to fill his House seat.

This will give Heller a bit of a leg up on the election in 2012. And getting Ensign out of the way will keep him from being an issue next year.