Just over a week after their initial recruit dropped out, Republicans nabbed a new candidate to run against Democratic Rep. Dina Titus in Nevada’s 3rd District.

Former state Sen. Joe Heck announced Tuesday on a local radio station that he was switching gears to the House race from the 2010 governor’s contest, where he trailed several other candidates in GOP primary polls. National Republican Congressional Campaign communications director Ken Spain called Heck “an even better candidate” than John Guedry, a local banker who dropped out of the race Sept. 25 for family reasons.

The 3rd, representing part of Las Vegas and a big portion of its suburbs in Clark County, is a classic swing district and is expected to produce a tight contest again in 2010. Titus defeated Republican Rep. Jon Porter 47 percent to 42 percent in 2008.