Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) said in a recent interview he thinks his once-safe red seat may be “at risk” in November’s midterm elections.
Nevada’s 2nd district has never elected a Democrat, but Amodei, who is set to retire in January, said a string of recent controversies plaguing businessman David Flippo may change that.
“I think he’s at risk,” Amodei said in an exclusive interview with Politico in which he reveals he “is looking seriously” at not voting for the former Air Force lieutenant colonel, who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Flippo allegedly exaggerated the extent of his military background, according to Fox-5 Vegas, and was late in filing financial disclosures. He maintains such “apparent exaggerations about his military service on campaign materials” were mistakes made by staff.
“It’s like, well whoever was advising the president on, ‘Hey, this would be a good place for you to go ahead and weigh in,’ gave him awful advice,” Amodei said of Trump’s decision to endorse Flippo. “The vetting process, quote unquote, must have been nearly non-existent.” Trump has long touted his strong endorsement record, which largely remained intact throughout the primary elections held in the spring and summer.
Flippo is still likely to win the race against Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling, and Republicans view the seat as less vulnerable than other races where seemingly safe seats may be in play for Democrats.
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Trump won the northern Nevada district, which covers Reno and rural ranching communities, by 14 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. Since assuming office in January 2025, however, Trump’s approval rating has consistently declined, a trend amplified particularly by the conflict in Iran and its ties to high energy prices. Despite largely running on former President Joe Biden’s inability to quell record-setting inflation, the national conversation heading into November has been dominated by affordability issues.
Amodei said that Republicans were “feeling pretty good” a year ago and “the winds were at our backs.” Trump has maintained that Democrats’ broad acceptance of socialist figures such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) will tie the party to broadly unpopular social policies.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
