Republicans appear to have gotten a last-minute entry into the Nevada Senate race when Sharron Angle unexpectedly filed for the seat being vacated by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.

A major reason Reid is leaving that seat willingly is that Angle blew what was widely considered a winnable Senate race against him as the Republican nominee in 2010. Even with her missteps, the polls showed the contest would be close. But Reid actually won handily and Republicans failed to retake the Senate in what was otherwise a good year for the GOP.