The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) on Friday declared the Nevada race for governor as one of its top-tier contests for 2010 — a move that was expected, given Republican incumbent Jim Gibbons‘ vulnerable position heading into the election year.

The DGA previously hesitated to officially target the Nevada race while the possibility of a competitive Democratic primary still loomed.

But that prospect was eliminated last week when state Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley announced she would not run. That has cleared the way for Rory Reid — an officeholder in the Las Vegas region and son of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — to stake his claim on the Democratic nomination.

“With no primary on the Democratic side, we will have a straight path to victory in Nevada,” Nathan Daschle, the DGA’s executive director, said in a release. “The DGA will fully engage politically with Commissioner Reid, helping him to build and execute a winning strategy. We believe that Nevada is ripe for Democratic leadership.”