News - June 5, 2026 - by Ray Hagar

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Nevada's 2nd U.S. House District Rep. Mark Amodei, who is retiring at the end of his current term after 15 years in Congress, was highly critical of President Trump's endorsed candidate to replace him, Lt. Col. Dave Flippo, during an interview on Nevada Newsmakers on Wednesday.

Amodei, R-Carson City, suggested Flippo switched from running in a Southern Nevada congressional race to Northern Nevada's only congressional-district race after learning of Amodei's pending retirement.

"It (Flippo's CD-2 candidacy) is very disappointing in terms of, 'So tell me about the issues? Tell me about why within 72 hours of me saying I'm retired, you're out of CD-4 (congressional race) and you're all in for CD-2?'

"Yeehaw!" Amodei continued, seemingly mocking Flippo: "I'm for Winnemucca, even though I don't know how to spell it!"

Amodei also predicted the candidate that he and Gov. Lombardo have endorsed -- former State Senate Minority Leader James Settelmeyer -- will defeat Trump's endorsed candidate in next Tuesday's Republican primary election.

"I expect it to go for James Settelmeyer," Amodei told host Sam Shad. "And I expect it not to be razor thin."

Flippo has little command of CD-2 issues, Amodei said.

"I've been around this long enough to know, if you've got good stuff to talk about, you talk about it," Amodei said. "And if you don't, and you have no record to run on, and you failed to get out of two Republican primaries in Las Vegas -- in the Assembly and in a congressional district -- what are you going to talk about?"

Amodei put some blame for Trump's endorsement of Flippo on Turning Point USA, a nonprofit that was co-founded by Charlie Kirk and advocates for conservative politics in high schools and colleges.

"Somebody from Turning Point wants to be able to say they own a congressman," Amodei said. "And listen, a lot of those groups never liked me, but it's like they couldn't find somebody that they thought could win."

Michael McDonald, the longest-serving chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, is said to have Trump's ear. Yet he probably had little to do in shaping Trump's endorsement of Flippo, Amodei said.

"No. Frankly, I don't think Michael McDonald has the juice to make a call the White House and say ... And besides that, Michael McDonald spent a lot of time telling me that he was going to defer to whoever we thought up here (was best).

Amodei, however, saw signs of other intentions: "He (McDonald) kind of danced around that, still kind of did, until he came out with the letter a little while ago saying, 'Well, he (Trump) is the leader of the party and we need to back him.'

"It's like, you know what, Michael? It's America," Amodei said. "You can say and think whatever you want, but we'll see how that plays."

Trump's endorsement of Flippo may not accurately mirror the concerns of Northern Nevada voters, Amodei said.

"The President decided a week into early voting that he's going to endorse," Amodei said. "And everybody goes, 'Oh, he (Settelmeyer) is dead. And it's like, first of all, I don't think that accurately reflects Northern Nevada.

"Not that we don't love the work that the President's done on the issues, but when it's like (Trump saying), 'Well, I'm
endorsing another. I've picked the guy from Vegas' in what looks like an AI generated (statement). Oh, he's
going to be great on the border. And he's for no tax on tips and the Second Amendment...but it's like, so why is the local guy no good?" Amodei said, referring to Settelmeyer.

Amodei also criticized Flippo's campaign advertising: "You know, it's the old personnel-session thing. I know who the other folks are that have applied for the job, and they all suck. Hire me. Really? That's what you got?"

Settelmeyer is a fourth-generation Nevadan who runs a ranch in Douglas County. Amodei praised his long career in the Legislature and then in Gov. Lombardo's administration as director of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. He resigned from that job to run for Congress.

'When I'm looking at people (candidates), being the old fashioned guy that I am, it's like, who can go out Interstate 80 and know their issues and know their businesses and know their communities?" Amodei said of Settelmeyer. "Who can go out on U.S. (Highway) 50 and do the same thing? And who can play in the Truckee Meadows, you know, Reno and Sparks but also Carson, Yerington and Fallon?"

"Who can play in those areas and not have to go to school to learn about it?" Amodei continued. "Who can hit the ground running?

"Oh, by the way, (Settelmeyer is) director of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. And nobody cares about water in Nevada," Amodei said, facetiously.

"Nobody cares about parks in Nevada," he continued. "Nobody cares about the environment in Nevada. I mean, with all those things, it's like this guy's got a tool kit that's pretty good, as far as doing the job. If the job is about issues and results -- and is speaking as the only voice in Congress that speaks exclusively for Northern Nevada, the original Nevada -- well, there are good candidates, but this guy (Settelmeyer) has got an exceptional tool box."

 

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