Nevada's 2010 midterm elections may be in line to win some sort of drama award. With a gubernatorial race and a Senate race playing out against a backdrop of scandals and old rivalries, it's starting to unfold like a Shakespearean play.

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Here's the scene: The current Republican governor, Jim Gibbons, is arguably the most unpopular governor in the country, with approval ratings as low as 25 percent, according to a January poll. He has been embroiled in a messy divorce that has absolutely enthralled the media, and he has been probed by the FBI in connection with allegations of influence peddling. The Justice Department cleared him of any wrongdoing. He can run for a second term in 2010, but has not yet announced if he will. Other state Republicans can only hope he'll opt out.

Enter Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, the powerful majority leader. His seat is also open in 2010, and Reid has all but said he plans to run for another term. However, he too is unpopular with Nevadans -- a recent poll showed that as many as 45 percent of respondents say they will definitely vote against him, buzz-kill for any incumbent. But Reid has at his disposal the entire Democratic machine of Nevada and a bursting war chest, and will fight to keep his seat.

Problem is, no challenger has come forth. In 2004, Reid won a comfortable victory with 61 percent of the vote, in part because the Republican Party couldn't find anyone serious to challenge him, and Reid would love to keep it that way again. Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki could challenge him, but he is burdened by an accusation of mishandling state funds, a charge he denies. Former Rep. Jon Porter was a formidable warrior, but he moved to D.C. to join a lobbying firm. Reid's seat would be a hot target -- if the GOP had a candidate. Right now, the Republican Party of Nevada is a cause without a rebel.

Meanwhile, Reid's son, Rory, is being talked up as a candidate for governor. But a father-son combo at the helm of the state Democratic ship could be too much for Nevadans, who might see it as a power grab by the Reid dynasty -- not to mention that Rory Reid is the current chairman of the Clark County Commission, which the Las Vegas Sun has declared "arguably the most powerful political body in Nevada."

Then, in late June, a bombshell went off: Sen. John Ensign, the leading Republican voice in the state, announced he had been involved in an affair with a campaign staffer, effectively silencing him for the remainder of the election cycle as he waits for his image to heal. His popularity tanked -- but it should be noted that he is still slightly more popular than Harry Reid.

Ensign and Harry Reid are old political rivals. Ensign ran against Reid in 1998 and lost. In 2000, when Nevada's other Senate seat came up, Ensign ran and won, putting the two opponents in the same delegation.

So, Nevada has an unpopular senator up for re-election in 2010, an even more unpopular governor up for re-election the same year, and a Republican senator who has been cast into irrelevance after admitting to an affair.

Are Nevadans going to be angry in November 2010? Most likely. Keep an eye on all of this. It's going to get good.


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