Rep. Jacky Rosen

(JTA) — Jacky Rosen, a former synagogue president and a freshman Democratic Congresswoman from Nevada, defeated sitting Sen. Dean Heller.

Rosen defeated Heller with 50.8 percent of the vote to Heller’s 45 percent.

Rosen, a former software developer, was talked into running by former Sen. Harry Reid, who believed she was the likeliest challenger to unseat Republican incumbent Dean Heller.

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Reid, who retired last year as the party leader in the Senate, remains a powerhouse in Nevada politics and still has a say in whom the party advances.

Prior to her successful congressional run last year, Rosen’s only elective experience was as president of Ner Tamid, a Reform synagogue in suburban Las Vegas.

The focus of Rosen’s campaign has been education — the public school system in Nevada is notoriously underfunded — and the environment. She has taken a centrist pro-Israel line, saying she would have opposed the 2015 Iran nuclear pact.

Following Heller’s phone call to concede, Rosen tweeted: “Thank you, Senator Heller for your many years of public service to our state.”

Thank you, Senator Heller for your many years of public service to our state. https://t.co/BkZwqMl1bs

— Jacky Rosen (@RosenforNevada) November 7, 2018

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

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