Flippo, Settelmeyer — and 11 more Republicans — seek open Northern Nevada U.S. House seat

The surprise retirement of Republican Rep. Mark Amodei launched the political campaigns of more than a dozen candidates who are now running to represent northern Nevada’s second congressional district.

Thirteen Republicans will be on the June 9 primary ballot: Jennifer Billat, Tom Doyle, David Flippo, George Forbush, Bruce Grego, Andrea Lowe, Jerry Olsen, James Settelmeyer, Rick Shepherd, Fred Simon Jr., Mike Smith, Sherman Tylawsky and Jesse Watts.

Since its creation after the 1980 census, only four people have been elected to the district — none of them Democrats. The closest a Democrat has come to winning the seat was in 2006, when Jill Derby lost an open seat to Republican Dean Heller by 5 points during a midterm election year.

During that time, former Republican President George W. Bush’s approval rating was deeply underwater. And while Democrats took control of both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate that election year, Nevada’s second Congressional District remained in Republican hands.

That pattern is likely to persist, according to analysts. Nevada’s second Congressional District has about 72,000 more active Republican voters than Democrats, as of April. The Cook Political Report, a national election forecaster, lists the seat as “solid R.” 

That also means the winner of the Republican primary is likely to become Nevada’s newest representative in Congress. 

President Donald Trump has not endorsed any candidate in CD2, a district he carried by 14 points in 2024. But major candidates in the race have worked to align themselves with Trump’s “America First” agenda.

Early voting runs May 23 through June 5. 

Endorsements

Flippo, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, has described himself as “the Trump Republican for congress”, “the America First conservative in this race,” and “the Left’s worst nightmare” throughout his campaign. 

Nationally, he’s also been endorsed by big MAGA aligned names including former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Turning Point Action, the Freedom Caucus Fund, and the Conservative Political Action Conference. 

Locally, Flippo has been endorsed by the Washoe County Republican Party, the Nevada Young Republicans, the Lincoln County Republican Party, Eureka County Sheriff Miles Umina, and Elko County Commissioner Brian Gale.

Endorsements for Settelmeyer — who is a former state assemblyman and senator and the former director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources — reflect his long history in Nevada politics. 

Settelmeyer has been endorsed by Amodei, as well as Nevada’s Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.

He’s also been endorsed by a slew of state lawmakers and local elected officials, including the Nevada Senate Republican Caucus, the Nevada Assembly Republicans, Republican Senate Leader Robin Titus, Republican Assembly Leader Gregory Hafen, Washoe County Commissioner Chairman Clara Andriola, Douglas County Commissioner Chairman Mark Gardner, and Elko County Commissioner Chairman Delmo Andreozzi.

No other candidates received any major endorsements. 

Funding and ad buys

Flippo reported $1.7 million in contributions as of the most recent public filing period, which ended March 31. The bulk of it came from a $1.2 million loan he loaned to his campaign. A chunk of that funding, more than $210,000, has gone to media buys, while tens of thousands more went to web ads.

One of those advertisements highlights Arpaio’s recent accusation that Settelmeyer “voted for driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants,” citing Settelmeyer’s vote for a 2013 bill that established driver authorization cards for undocumented immigrants. The bill had broad bipartisan support and was signed into law by former Republican Gov. Brian Sandevol. 

Settelmeyer’s campaign did not follow up on a request for an interview. In a statement, Settelmeyer’s campaign spokesperson Greg Bailor called Flippo “a Las Vegas millionaire trying to buy a Northern Nevada congressional seat” in reference to Flippo’s largely self-funded campaign. 

Before Amodei’s retirement, Flippo had planned to run for Nevada’s 4th Congressional District, even purchasing and mailing campaign materials promoting his run for CD4. 

Bailor criticized Flippo for the switch adding that “Flippo moved to Reno, over one month after filing for office, to take advantage of Congressman Amodei’s retirement.”

Flippo’s move to another district also attracted a federal election complaint from fellow GOP U.S. House candidate and former Eureka County Sheriff Jesse Watts, who accused Flippo of using campaign funds to rent a personal home in Reno, which Watts alleged was a violation of federal election rules. 

Flippo’s campaign declined to be interviewed, but denied the accusation.

“It’s a complete fabrication by the Establishment’s useful idiot,” said campaign spokesperson Woodrow Johnston in an email. 

Settlemeyer reported significantly less in campaign contributions as of the end of first quarter reporting on March 31, raising about $108,000. He ended the period with more than $103,000 cash on hand, following limited expenditures. He did not report any ad buys.

The only other Republican candidate to report campaign contributions in the first quarter was George Forbush, a retired Sparks police officer and first time candidate. About half of those contributions are from a $5,000 loan he took on to fund his own campaign. He ended the quarter with about $4,400 cash on hand. 

Criticisms on past performance

On social media, Flippo has criticized Settelmeyer for his vote on a 2019 bill that ensured more state funding for an existing family planning grant program went to approved programs, calling it “funding for Planned Parenthood.” The bill received unanimous support in both houses of the Legislature and was signed by Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak.

Additionally, Flippo has repeatedly criticized Settemeyer for voting for “DEI quota studies,” referring to a 2021 bill that authorized the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to conduct a study on diversity and equality in the workplace. Only one state senator voted against the bill, which was signed by Sisolak.

Several of those criticisms were repeated in a recent ad paid for by the House Freedom Caucus Fund, which has endorsed Flippo.

Bailor said Flippo “is misleading voters about James’ record and trying to fool Northern Nevadans into believing he is one of us.” 

Settelmeyer’s campaign pointed to the former lawmaker’s role as Trump’s Nevada campaign co-chairman in 2024 as an example of his alignment with the president.

Bailor also highlighted Settelmeyer’s endorsement from the National Right to Life and the Nevada Right to Life when asked about Flippo’s criticism of his vote on the 2019 family planning bill.

Settelmeyer’s campaign touts a successful lawsuit against the State of Nevada brought by state Senate Republicans in 2019 when Settelmyer was Republican Senate leader. The Democratically controlled Legislature had passed two tax bills, following a legal opinion from legislative staff. The state Supreme Court overruled the legislation because the tax bills had not been passed by two-thirds majorities in both houses, as required of revenue enhancing bills under Nevada’s state constitution.

Suggesting Flippo’s candidacy could be the one thing that allows Democrats to do something that has never been done — win CD2 — Settelmeyer’s campaign points to to Flippo’s prior failed efforts at winning public office. Flippos lost the 2024 CD4 Republican primary to John Lee by three points. In 2022, Flippo lost a Republican primary for an Assembly district in Las Vegas by 23 points.

Watts, the former Eureka County Sheriff and one of the few other candidates with a public profile, resigned from his position in 2024 following efforts to recall him after the Eureka County District Attorney alleged  Watts made “false claims against a local resident for allegedly assaulting a former Eurekan in 2019.”

Watts denied any wrongdoing and said he left his position to safeguard his rights after being unfairly targeted. He filed a lawsuit against the county, which is still pending.

“We are very positive in what’s going to come out of that,” Watts said. 

Candidate positions 

On his campaign site, Settelmeyer lists securing the border, strengthening the economy, and opening federal lands for development while managing Nevada’s water resources, as his top priorities.

In an interview with KTVN, Settelmeyer said he believes the U.S. needs to move away from dependence on foreign nations for oil and generate more oil domestically, including building a pipeline to Utah.

When it comes to public lands, Settelmeyer said he wants to address the checkerboard of public and private land in Pershing County. He suggested selling public land at lower prices could lower housing costs.

Settelmeyer praised Trump’s effort to secure the border and emphasized its importance to homeland security.

On social media, Flippo said his first bill in Congress would be to ban Sharia law in the U.S., referring to Islamic religious law. He said he supports Trump’s decision to enter the war with Iran and would back it if elected to Congress. 

Flippo said he supports the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require voters to present proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, to register to vote in federal elections.

Flippo has said he opposes the Dignity Act, a Republican-led immigration reform bill that includes a modified version of the DREAM Act, which would offer conditional permanent residency status and eventual citizenship to DACA recipients.

In an interview with KTVN, Flippo listed road safety, access to healthcare, water issues, and the BLM land release, as top priorities. 

Flippo said he supports Trump’s tariffs as a way to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.

Forbush, the retired Sparks police officer and first time candidate, said his top priorities are energy, immigration reform, and affordable housing. 

Forbush said the West should prioritize diversifying fuel sources away from California, proposing a pipeline from Salt Lake to Nevada to mitigate potential supply disruptions.

Forbush criticized broad federal land sales and supported local initiatives like the Northern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act. 

On affordable housing, Forbush said he would advocate for eliminating the requirement for Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), which protects lenders in the case of default, on federal loans to lower housing costs. He also said he would support extending loan terms from 30 years to 45 years or longer.

Forbush said he supports securing the border and deporting undocumented immigrants, but emphasized the need to streamline the immigration system, suggesting a merit-based system that includes language proficiency and skills assessments.

On healthcare, he criticizes the high cost of prescription drugs and the need for transparency in pricing. Forbush criticized the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but approved extending healthcare subsidies for seniors with fixed incomes. 

Forbush said he supports Trump’s decision to enter a war with Iran. He supports Trump’s use of tariffs to bring back manufacturing, but added that he believes Congress should be more involved in tariff decisions and that executive orders should be used sparingly.

Watts, the retired Eureka County sheriff, listed agriculture, water rights, and infrastructure as his top priorities. 

Watts said he would support eliminating the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971, which protects horses and burros from capture or harassment, to address overpopulation.

Watts emphasizes the need for a balance between economic growth and protecting agricultural land, and calls for implementing traffic, water, and public safety studies before releasing public lands to be sold.

Watts said he supports the SAVE Act. 

Doyle, a gaming industry consultant, is a first time candidate. He also served several terms as chair of Washoe County School District’s audit committee.

He said his top priorities are the economy, immigration, and preventing fraud. Doyle said his economic priorities were reducing regulations, controlling the budget, and lowering taxes. He praised Trump’s actions on immigration and economic policies, including tariffs. 

No other candidates responded to requests for an interview.