Amodei joins ranks of Republican House members who won’t seek reelection

Nevada Current — Nevada’s lone Congressional Republican, U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, announced he is retiring from Congress at the end of his term. 

Amodei has represented the reliably Republican-leaning Congressional District 2, which included Washoe County and most of rural Nevada, since 2011.

“I came to Congress to solve problems and to make sure our state” has a “strong voice in the federal policy and oversight processes,” Amodei said in a statement Friday. “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.”

Republicans hold a razor thin margin in the U.S. House and are at risk of losing control in the upcoming midterm elections. 

Dozens of U.S. House incumbents, including 29 Republicans, have announced they are not running for reelection. While many are retiring, several of the Republicans leaving the House are running for higher office in their state.

Two Republicans – Rick Shepherd and Heath Fulkerson – had already filed to challenge Amodei. On his campaign website, Shepherd attacked Amodei’s record, saying it “is one of absence, evasion, and loyalty to foreign lobbies over Northern Nevada families.”

Amodei’s decision not to seek reelection is expected to prompt more high-profile Republicans to enter the race.

On the Democratic side, several candidates had also already announced they are running,, including former Nevada State Democratic Party executive director Matthew Fonken, teacher Kathy Durham, and Greg Kidd, a tech investor who previously ran and lost against Amodei in 2024 as a nonpartisan candidate.