Benitez-Thompson Flips Nevada’s Longtime Republican House District

Teresa Benitez-Thompson captured Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District on November 3, defeating Republican David Flippo and breaking the district’s long record of electing Republicans. The northern Nevada seat includes Reno and a large rural area, and President Donald Trump carried it by 14 points in 2024.

With all 13 counties reporting, Benitez-Thompson received 50.37% of the vote, compared with 44.45% for Flippo. Independent American Party candidate Lynn Chapman received 5.18%. Benitez-Thompson’s margin was 16,124 votes out of more than 272,000 counted.

The race followed Republican Rep. Mark Amodei’s decision to retire after representing the district since 2011. Benitez-Thompson, a social worker who formerly led Nevada’s state assembly, had represented parts of the district in the state assembly for 12 years and campaigned as a moderate.

Flippo’s campaign faced scrutiny over claims about his military service and professional record, his financial disclosures and his ties to an Arizona land venture. Amodei criticized Flippo and did not support his candidacy. Flippo also declined to debate Benitez-Thompson.

The result came as Democrats gained control of the House and flipped seats in Republican-leaning areas. In the district, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo held an advantage of roughly six percentage points across its counties, while Benitez-Thompson won the congressional race by nearly six points.

Nevada Voters Reject Trump-Backed Republican in Historic Upset

Nevada voters delivered a striking rebuke to a Republican candidate elevated by Donald Trump, electing Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson in a district Trump carried by 14 points in 2024. The November 3 result ended the seat’s long record of sending Republicans to Congress.

With all 13 counties reporting, Benitez-Thompson won 50.37% of the vote to David Flippo’s 44.45%. Independent American Party candidate Lynn Chapman received 5.18%, and Benitez-Thompson’s margin exceeded 16,000 votes.

Flippo’s campaign was dogged by questions about claims concerning his military service and professional record, missing financial disclosures, and his connection to an Arizona land venture. Republican Rep. Mark Amodei called Flippo a fraud and withheld his support. Flippo declined to debate Benitez-Thompson.

Benitez-Thompson brought deep local experience: She had represented parts of the district in the state assembly for 12 years and campaigned as a moderate. The outcome came amid Democratic gains in Republican-leaning territory and a party takeover of the House. The contrast is hard to miss: voters chose a familiar local public servant over a Trump-backed newcomer facing a trail of serious questions.

Democrat’s Nevada Upset Comes Amid National House Swing

Democrats’ takeover of the House reached deep into Republican territory on November 3, when Teresa Benitez-Thompson captured Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District. The result was a major change for a seat that had never sent a Democrat to Congress and that Donald Trump carried by 14 points in 2024.

Benitez-Thompson received 50.37% of the vote with all 13 counties reporting, compared with 44.45% for Republican David Flippo. Independent American Party candidate Lynn Chapman took 5.18%. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, meanwhile, held an advantage of roughly six percentage points across the district’s counties.

Flippo faced damaging questions about his military and professional record, campaign claims, financial disclosures and ties to an Arizona land venture. He declined to debate Benitez-Thompson, and retiring Republican Rep. Mark Amodei did not support him. Those liabilities mattered, but the race also unfolded during a broader Democratic sweep that flipped seats in Republican-leaning areas.

Benitez-Thompson had represented parts of the district in the state assembly for 12 years and ran as a moderate. Her victory shows how sharply the political landscape shifted; it also leaves Republicans to reckon with a loss in a district where their candidate’s problems were compounded by a national election turning against the party.