Republican Sen. Dean Heller finds himself in unique category staring down a reelection battle next year — all by himself, The Hill reports.
Heller's taking heat from the left for voting in favor of the Senate's skinny repeal of Obamacare, but the Nevadan is also taking flak from his own side in voting for a bill they say didn't go far enough.
Heller's vote in favor came after a previous iteration that Heller opposed because it attacked the one staple that Heller says he's protecting — Medicaid.
But his political opponent from within his own party doesn't see it that way.
"He acts like that's a repeal of Obamacare — it's not," Republican primary challenger Danndy Tarkanian told The Hill.
And with an approval rating of 22 percent, Nevadans apparently aren't buying Heller's attempt to stake out a position in the middle.
"The only consistent thing about Dean Heller on healthcare is his inconsistency," Jon Ralston, a leading Nevada political expert, told The Hill. "He has managed to alienate both the left and the right and confuse the middle."
So Heller, seen as perhaps the most vulnerable Republican senator in the midterms, is going to have to win a primary before any hope of returning to the Senate.
And though Heller voted in favor of the skinny repeal, he's in the crosshairs of his primary opponent for not being loyal enough to President Donald Trump.
Tarkanian launched NeverHeller.com, highlighting Heller's past statements regarding Trump.
In a poll taken last week, Tarkanian leads Heller by 8 points.
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