Assembly District 13

RENO -- Filing done, the top races in the state have come into focus and politics-watchers have a lot to look forward to this season.

Reeling from three consecutive special election losses, congressional Republicans will have their hands full holding on to the 3rd congressional district and, in a watershed year, the 2nd. Control of the state Senate rests on the thinnest of one-seat majorities, and the Democrats' coveted "veto-proof" majority is only one pick-up away. Here's a brief rundown of the races to watch and how they could all play out:

Assemblyman Chad Christensen.LAS VEGAS -- Jon Ralston is reporting in his RalstonFlash that Republican Assemblyman Chad Christensen has informed party leaders that he will not seek reelection.

Christensen has represented Assembly District 13 for three terms and would be challenged this year by former congressional candidate Andrew Martin.

With Democrats only one seat away from a veto-proof majority in the assembly, Christensen's retirement would put Republicans in the unenviable position of trying to defend three open Republican seats while contesting the same number of open Democratic seats. Christensen's district, like most Clark County seats, has been trending Democratic and now faces a nearly 1,400-vote Democratic advantage in registration.

Las Vegas accountant Andrew MartinHENDERSON-Andrew Martin will end his campaign for Congressional District 3 today, according to aides, and will instead challenge Republican Chad Christensen in the 13th Assembly District.

Martin, a Las Vegas-based accountant, announced for CD3 last year, but his campaign was largely overlooked by Democratic heavyweights U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Rep. Shelley Berkley, Nevada Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in favor of former Clark County chief deputy district attorney Robert Daskas.

Immediately following Daskas' withdrawal from the race Monday, state and national Democrats began calling for Titus to run in his stead.  Titus' announcement is expected in minutes.

Protestors gather at two different sites in Las Vegas Tuesday.LAS VEGAS-About fifty people gathered at each of two sites in Las Vegas Tuesday to protest the federal income tax in one case and the costs of the continuing war in Iraq in the other.  Although different in purpose, the protests were similar in appearance with waving signs, chanting slogans and an inevitable slowdown in nearby traffic.

Anti-tax protest at "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign

"One hundred percent of the federal income tax goes toward the debt on the dollar," said Cody Cunningham, the 14-year-old organizer of the anti-tax protest.  "It doesn't go toward any services at all.  It doesn't go to roads or highways or anything."