Nevada Rep. Jacky Rosen announced today that she will run against incumbent Republican Sen. Dean Heller in the 2018 election for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Rosen released the following statement:
“I became a computer programmer all those years ago because I liked being able to see a problem, work together, and find smart solutions. We can find smart solutions in Washington, too, but self-serving career politicians are perpetuating a system that’s broken by partisan gridlock and dysfunction. I understand the frustration Nevadans feel towards Washington, and that’s why I’m running for Senate: to fight for the families I talk to every day who have been let down and are ready for change. Now more than ever, Nevadans deserve a Senator they can trust to be an independent voice standing up to President Trump, not his enabler. Senator Heller might not sound like President Trump, but his voting record shows he supported Trump’s agenda 100% of the time in his first 100 days.

“I never thought I’d run for office, but I stepped up because I wanted to make a difference for my community. As people too often forget in Washington, behind every problem there are people back home who are suffering. This Senate seat couldn’t be more important — already this year, Senator Heller has been a deciding vote to confirm Trump’s deeply unqualified Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, to allow states to defund Planned Parenthood clinics, and to let internet providers sell your data to the highest bidder without your consent. For years, Senator Heller has been voting over and over again to slash Medicaid funding and repeal the Affordable Care Act instead of working to fix it. Our voices aren’t being represented.

“As your next Senator, I will work tirelessly to strengthen the ladder of economic opportunity for the next generation, whether it’s expanding our clean energy economy, improving our education system for the jobs of the future, raising incomes for working families, or fighting tooth and nail to protect your access to affordable health care. As a woman who worked my way through college and came up through the ranks as a computer programmer, as a leader in my faith-based community, as a caregiver for my aging parents and in-laws and now a mother to my daughter, I can’t stand by and watch while President Trump and Senator Heller leave middle class families stranded. I want to be a champion for all Nevadans, and this is a critical opportunity to make an even bigger difference for the state I’ve called home for nearly 40 years.”