The Nevada Senate race will kick off the new year as one of the closest races in the country, according to a new poll released today.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal/8NewsNow poll found Rep. Shelley Berkley (D) and Sen. Dean Heller (R) statistically tied, with Berkley taking 44 percent and Heller 43 percent.

Nevada promises to be a political hotbed in 2012, with President Barack Obama targeting the state as a must-win and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) working to make sure both Obama and Berkley are victorious.

Berkley has so far won the fundraising race, but both candidates are expected to have the necessary cash to compete through November. Roll Call rates the race as a Tossup.

The new poll confirms that little has changed over the last six months, when other public polling showed the race within a point or two. The poll, conducted by the Cannon Survey Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, surveyed 600 registered voters from Dec. 12 to 20 and had a 4-point margin of error.