(The Center Square) – Nevada state Sen. James Settelmeyer, a Republican, announced Friday he’s running for the seat being vacated by Nevada’s only Republican in Congress, U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei.
Amodei, who represents northern Nevada including Reno and the capital, Carson City, in the 2nd Congressional District, announced his retirement last month, leading Democrats to now eye the unlikely swing seat.
The filing window for candidates seeking office opened this week, with Settelmeyer as the only major Republican politician to declare a candidacy.
But with no incumbent seeking reelection, Democrats are hoping to ride their way into a Republican stronghold as part of their midterm efforts to seize the razor-thin House majority now held by the GOP.
“Serving the people of Nevada has been the honor of my lifetime,” Amodei said in a February press release announcing his retirement. “Nobody is prouder of our Nevada congressional district than me. Thank you for the honor. Every achievement worth doing began with listening to Nevadans and fighting for our values.”
On the national scale, Republicans hold a small four-seat advantage over Democrats, but many recent polls show Democrats with a slight advantage heading into the 2026 elections in November.
The result is that with 435 representatives in the House, even an individual seat like Amodei’s District 2 could be decisive for party control on the national level. It takes 218 seats to secure a majority. Currently Republicans have 218 seats; Democrats, 214. There are three vacancies after the resignations of Reps. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey, and Marjorie Taylor-Green, R-Georgia, and the death of U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-California.
Settlemeyer joins nine other Republicans vying for Amodei’s district in the party primary in June. On the other side of the aisle, four Democrats have filed for the office, but none have previously held public office. The filing period for this year’s election ends March 13.
Amodei, who first won congressional office in 2011, previously served in the state Senate and Assembly.
“I came to Congress to solve problems and to make sure our State and Nation have a strong voice in the federal policy and oversight processes,” Amodei said in a statement. “I look forward to finishing my term. After 15 years of service, I believe it is the right time for Nevada and myself to pass the torch.”
Settlemeyer is the only candidate in the race with elected office experience on the state or national scale. He’s currently the co-majority whip of the state Senate and represents Churchill, Douglass, Lyon and Storey counties.
The campaign is expected to feature major debates over immigration policy, health care and the economy.
