Two weeks ago, Mark Amodei announced he will retire at the end of his current term, opening Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District for the first time since 2011. In a district long considered solidly Republican, the race is already filling up with Democrats.
Some Democrats had already been running to challenge Amodei before his retirement, and now those campaigns are competing for an open seat. What stands out is the absence of Republican candidates.
Sondra Cosgrove, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada, said the district’s Republican label can be misleading.
“So even though it’s reliably Republican, it’s only 38 percent Republican voters. It’s not a majority Republican [district],” Cosgrove said.
She said party leaders are likely trying to avoid a bruising primary that could weaken whoever emerges as the nominee, especially with control of the U.S. House expected to be closely contested.
“In order to run in that district, you’re going to have to have outside money. Wherever the outside money lands, that’s going to be the candidate everybody’s looking at,” Cosgrove said.
Cosgrove also notes that Democrats have a potential path to victory — if they appeal beyond their base. Nonpartisan voters outnumber registered Democrats in the district, a bloc that campaigns often overlook.
On the Republican side, Cosgrove expects party leaders to consolidate support around a single candidate rather than risk a crowded primary, possibly someone with statewide name recognition like Sam Brown.
How quickly Republicans act and which candidate they rally behind could determine how competitive this race becomes.
