Shelley Berkley in 2012 Nevada Senate Debates

On Environment: Supports land transfer for Yerington mines

Berkley, said: "I want the mine to open. I want a brighter future for the people of Yerington. I'm anxious to stand for them."

On Jobs: Online poker could mean up to 1,200 jobs in Nevada

Some of Berkley's sharpest attacks on Heller came on online poker, on which Reid has blamed Heller for failing to get votes in the Senate. "My opponent is failing the people of the state of Nevada," she said, saying online poker legislation could mean up to 1,200 jobs in Nevada. "My opponent is not doing his job. Either he does not have an understanding of how important this is to the state of Nevada, or he's not caring."

Heller waived away the attacks as political. He said he believes he has two opponents in the race--Berkley and Reid. Reid saw online poker "as his last best chance to get involved in the U.S. Senate race," Heller continued. "26 days from now, Sen. Reid and myself will put aside our differences and get something passed."

On Health Care: Kidney transplant center helps Nevada but helps husband too

Acting just as aggressively, Heller began airing a quick-hit TV ad to let voters know Berkley is accused of helping line her wealthy husband's pockets. "Shelley Berkley took care of herself. She got caught," says the Heller ad. It notes a watchdog group listed Berkley as one of the "most corrupt members of Congress" for not disclosing her husband's ties to the University Medical Center kidney transplant program and for promoting bills to help kidney doctors.

The escalating ad wars come after an announcement of a formal House Ethics Committee investigation. The persistent ethics cloud is a blow to Berkley's campaign.

On Health Care: Stop cuts to Medicare; no privatization for younger workers

The Berkley ad criticizes Heller for twice voting "to end Medicare as we know it," a popular Democratic charge against Republicans who want to privatize the program for younger workers.

On Government Reform: Free Nevada: No out-of-state donations for Senate race

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee took the response as enough encouragement to offer a bit of a sweetener: it pledged to keep its considerable resources out of the Silver State if Heller agrees to the deal. But the National Republican Senatorial Committee saw only hypocrisy. While both sides are at least expressing an interest in limiting outside cash, such money played a large role in Nevada's 2010 Senate contest. Frontrunner Pete Hoekstra faced a battery of criticisms during a Republican Senate debate, over racism accusations for a Super Bowl advertisement. The ad featured a bike-riding Chinese woman thanking incumbent Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow (called Spend-it-now in the promo) in broken English for helping support deficit spending that is aiding the Chinese economy. The ad received national criticism from both sides of the aisle.

Former Michigan State Board of Education member