Nevada Republicans have a new candidate seeking to challenge four-term Democrat Harry Reid, the U.S. Senate majority leader: State Sen. Mark Amodei, who hails from the state capital of Carson City in northern Nevada, formally launched his campaign Wednesday.

Amodei is a 14-year veteran of the state Assembly and Senate who cannot run again for his current office in 2010 because of Nevada’s term-limit law, as noted by Las Vegas Sun political analyst Jon Ralston, who also pointed out that Amodei is one of the few Republicans from northern Nevada who has been contemplating a challenge to Reid.

Amodei indicated earlier this year that he would back a potential Senate bid by Dean Heller, the Republican who is in his second term representing the state’s sprawling 2nd Congressional District. But Heller, also a Carson City resident, announced in August he is running for re-election to the House and not for the Senate in 2010, opening the door for Amodei and a number of other GOP hopefuls.

Already in the Republican primary field are Las Vegas real estate developer Danny Tarkanian, son of famed University of Nevada at Las Vegas basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian; former state Assemblywoman Sharron Angle; doctor Robin Titus; and Reno attorney Chuck Kozak, among others.