Businesswoman and former state Sen. Sue Lowden will take on incumbent Harry Reid next year

Sue Lowden, the former journalist, state senator and Nevada businesswoman who just stepped down from running the Nevada Republican Party, announced today she’s running for U.S. Senate against incumbent U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Lowden’s follows the announcement of fellow Republicans Danny Tarkanian, ex-Assemblywoman Sharron Angle and state Sen. Mark Amodei for the post.

In announcing her long-expected candidacy, Lowden said she would stand firm against high spending and big government. Here’s her statement:

“Nevadans have grown weary of an out-of-control federal government. Higher deficits and higher taxes will not bring jobs back to Nevada. Government-run and rationed health care will not improve privacy, access and affordability for Nevada patients. And trillions of dollars of new debt will prevent future generations from discovering the same opportunities and dreams many new and longtime generations of Americans have enjoyed thus far.

“As a U.S. senator, I will fight to create jobs. I will do so by working to keep our taxes low, our health care decisions in the hands of patients, and our federal government accountable to those who fund it. Unfortunately, Washington’s recent actions have made matters worse. Nevadans simply cannot afford this rapid and unaffordable expansion of federal spending and control.

“In the past year alone, Nevada residents have lost their homes, their jobs and their retirement savings – all while Washington has drowned us with trillions of dollars of new debt. And while our families have less, Washington craves more, unconcerned about the consequences.

“This isn’t a partisan problem, it’s a problem brought on by an unresponsive, out-of-touch federal government.

“For the sake of those Nevadans who have fallen on hard times, we deserve a civil discussion and an honest debate on how to put people back to work. We know the path back to prosperity requires job creation, health care reform and controlled federal spending. These are the ‘kitchen-table’ issues I look forward to discussing with Nevada voters in the year ahead.”

Lowden began her Nevada career as a reporter and anchor at KLAS Channel 8. (So, remember, people, she’s a journalist, and therefore totally trustworthy!) She currently serves as a board member and treasurer of the Archon Corp., which operates casinos, and was formerly president of the Sante Fe hotel-casino and executive vice president of the Sahara hotel-casino (so she’s a gaming licensee, too!).

Now, the Culinary Union Local 226 has some problems with her stemming from her time at the Sante Fe, and the treatment of workers who wanted to unionize there. Yes, it was long ago, but the Culinary has shown itself to have a long, long memory. You don’t have to be Nostradamus to see them getting involved in the race at some point.

But speaking of Nostradamus and odd little historical twists, did you know that Lowden entered public services by running in a Democratic district to defeat a Senate majority leader? Oh, yes: The year was 1992, and Lowden took on state Sen. Jack Vergiels, then leader of the Nevada Senate’s Democrats. Will past be prologue?

Oh, and one other thing: In 1973, Lowden was Miss New Jersey, and second runner-up to Miss America. That fact alone should give the Reid camp pause. No, not the fact that she was in the Miss America pageant. The fact that she was Miss New Jersey, where she grew up. That’s right: Lowden is a Jersey girl, and one does not mess with Jersey girls. At least that’s what we’ve been told.