Former Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval has stirred up some much-needed excitement in the state Republican party with his resignation Aug. 14 as a federal judge with the U.S. District Court in Nevada.

After four years in the state Assembly, three on the Nevada Gaming Commission and two years as attorney general, Sandoval had a bright political future in an otherwise short bench of Nevada GOP officials. His nomination to the federal judgeship, a lifetime appointment, was widely seen as an attempt by Democratic Sen. Harry Reid to eliminate a potential future rival.

Now, however, Sandoval is back in the political fray and local observers see his sudden resignation as a sign he is looking to run for governor in 2010. As Las Vegas Sun political columnist Jon Ralston wrote Sunday, “No one in his mid-40s resigns from a federal judgeship without something serious in mind … So trust me: Sandoval is running for governor and will make an announcement after the resignation becomes effective in a month.”