The Las Vegas Sun’s Lisa Mascaro is reporting tonight that the Republicans will announce they have found a challenger to U.S. Sen. Harry Reid “in the coming weeks.” Yeah, right, we know: Blah, blah, blah. But Mascaro has spotted state Sen. Mark Amodei wandering around Washington D.C.! Could he be the one?

According to Mascaro, folks at the National Republican Senatorial Committee are still holding out hope for U.S. Rep. Dean Heller to get into the race. It makes sense; Heller’s congressional district spans the state and he won three statewide races as secretary of state, in 1994, 1998 and 2002, so we know he can win a statewide contest. Since he’s already known in Reno and the rurals, he’d just need to spend a boatload of cash defining himself in Clark County before Reid could.

But Heller would have to give up his seat to run, a safe seat that he can probably hold for as long as he wants it. Is Reid the guy he really wants to go up against, even with the senior senator’s demonstrated unpopularity in Nevada?

That brings us to Amodei, who has not won a statewide race, or any race outside his district that covers Carson City and nearby counties. He served one term in the Assembly and is now in his final term in the state Senate, where he’s prohibited from running again thanks to term limits. (In other words, he’s got nothing to lose.)

But Amodei has some problems, too. He solicited a job as head of the Nevada Mining Association during a legislative session when he sat as vice-chairman of the Senate’s Natural Resources Committee. And then he served in that role during two special sessions in 2008, literally acting as both senator and head of one of the state’s biggest special interests. He finally resigned before the 2009 session.

Also, some would say Amodei is a bit of a dick. Then again, Reid isn’t exactly Mr. Personality, as evidenced by the fact that Jon Stewart of The Daily Show fame recalls Reid as his worst interview ever.

But hey, Republicans are close to having somebody to challenge Reid, which is more than the beleaguered party can say now. Stay tuned to see who will go up against the state’s senior senator!