WASHINGTON – Representative Jacky Rosen (D-NV) confirmed to Jewish Insider that she plans on running against incumbent Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) in 2018. While CNN and others reported this week that Rosen is expected to run quoting anonymous sources, Rosen’s statement to Jewish Insider on Monday evening is the first on-the-record confirmation from the Congresswoman of her Senate campaign.

A former President of the Reform congregation Ner Tamid, Rosen was largely unknown in Nevada before former Senator Harry Reid approached her to run for elected office.

In a March interview with Jewish Insider, the Nevada lawmaker explained, “When you are the head of any philanthropy organization, what you learn is empathy, how to listen and be responsive to people’s needs. What you realize when you work in the philanthropic world is that people aren’t just numbers: they are families with real needs and you need to make your judgments with kindness and thoughtfulness in order to serve those needs.”

Senator Heller is considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the 2018 race, and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke with Rosen four or five times, according to Politico, in an effort to persuade her to participate in the race. Rosen’s spokesperson added that a formal announcement would come shortly.

Serving on the House Armed Services Committee, Rosen co-sponsored House Resolution 11 in January, which condemned the United Nations Security Council for critiquing Israeli settlement construction. “It was my first floor speech. I was very proud to come out against that abstention because of course, an abstention is really a vote because you just let happen whatever happened,” she said.