Sharron Angle Launches Campaign for Nevada House Seat

Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle gets in line to cast her vote in Reno, Nev. (AP)

Sharron Angle, the Tea Party darling who nearly unseated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in November, announced Wednesday that she is launching another congressional bid, this time for an open House seat in Nevada.

Angle is running for a seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Dean Heller, to whom she lost during a previous run for the House in 2006.

"The effort to bring the people's voice back into government didn't end in 2010. Now, more than ever, we need elected officials who will pledge to work against unconstitutional legislation, higher taxes, increased regulation and deficit spending that continues to bankrupt our economy and consumer confidence," she said in an announcement on her website.

"The Obama administration has made it clear that it intends to pursue unconstitutional legislation like ObamaCare, job-killing policies, new regulations and increase federal spending at a level that paralyzes our nation's economic health," she continued.

"This campaign and subsequent election will be about hitting the ground running."

Angle gained national prominence last year by winning her party's nomination to challenge a vulnerable Reid. While Angle waged a competitive race that drew tremendous support from Tea Party groups and struck fear into the hearts of Democrats, she ultimately lost by 5 points.

Despite her loss, she won the 2nd district and 14 of 17 counties. But Clark County, which is split in the other two districts of the state, has the majority of the population.

The election helped to make Angle a leader within the Tea Party. She raised $14 million in one fundraising quarter and has traveled to Republican rallies in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Angle's announcement puts to rest speculation that she would run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. Heller announced Tuesday that he'll run for that seat.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) didn't waste anytime attacking Angle, calling her an "extremist" who will try to take her "radical" views to Congress.

"Sharron Angle's extremist views are so far out of touch with middle class Nevada families that they're rightly labeled radical and right wing," DCCC spokesman Jesse Ferguson said in a statement. "Whether it's her refusal to do anything to create jobs if she got to Congress or her belief that Medicare and Social Security should be phased out, Sharron Angle's views are too extreme for Nevada families."