Nevada Senate candidate drops out of race after Trump tweets that he should

(Image credit: David Becker/Getty Images)

Republican Danny Tarkanian is dropping his bid for a highly-coveted U.S. Senate seat in Nevada, switching to a congressional run at the behest of President Trump, The Nevada Independent reported Friday.

Tarkanian, who was poised to enter a fiery primary against incumbent Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), heard from the president's office earlier this week that Trump would prefer him to run for the House rather than the Senate, reports the Independent. Trump made that preference loud and clear Friday, when he tweeted how "great" it would be if Tarkanian would step aside for Heller.

When Tarkanian first heard from Trump's team, he was steadfast in his commitment to the Senate, telling the Independent on Tuesday that there was "zero chance" he'd flip to the congressional race. He conceded, however, that he would switch races if Trump asked him publicly, which the president did in his Friday tweet. Tarkanian, whose staff advised him not to fight the president, said that he plans to file for the congressional race at noon.

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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.