Reid's Advantage

Hotline OnCall's Reid Wilson has a long post today running through election dynamics in Nevada, where Republican voters will select Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's challenger tomorrow. Wilson points out that Reid will have a tremendous cash advantage over his GOP challenger, whoever it is--$9.1 million, up against a GOP challenger who has spent a good portion of her war chest in the bruising primary--and notes that Angle's conservatism is emblematic of a problem the Republican Party will face in multiple races this fall:

If, as is expected, Angle finishes on top, she will give Reid's team ample opportunity to make inroads with centrist voters. Angle had arguably the most conservative voting record in the state legislature when she served, often representing the lone "no" vote on otherwise popular legislation. She has a history of making questionable statements, and she's shown little interest in tacking toward the middle during a general election bid.

Reid's opposition researchers spent the weekend pouring over Angle's record, eager to build an opposition research book that will serve as the basis for the majority leader's assault on his GOP foe this fall, sources in Reid's camp told Hotline OnCall.

Angle's rise has been a stark example of one of the GOP's biggest challenges this year. As voters seek new alternatives and Dems seek to cast the GOP as an unacceptable alternative, the minority must make a stand for independent and moderate voters. In some cases, the party has already nominated candidates with a strong set of middle-of-the-road credentials, even as they appeal to conservatives as well. Angle will have to prove she has those chops in order to convince moderate NV voters Reid's impending attacks are out of line.