Nevada Democrat Steven Horsford reelected to U.S. House

Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford was reelected in one of two Southern Nevada congressional districts where Republicans mounted well-financed campaigns to flip U.S. House seats in the battleground state.

He beat former Assemblyman Jim Marchant. The other hotly contested race was too early to call as Democratic Rep. Susie Lee tried to fend off GOP challenger Dan Rodimer, a former professional wrestler, in a district that President Donald Trump carried in 2016 despite losing the state to Hillary Clinton by 2.4 percentage points.

Two veteran incumbents, Democratic Rep. Dina Titus in Las Vegas and Republican Rep. Mark Amodei, easily won reelection as expected.

Titus, the dean of Nevada's congressional delegation, was reelected to a fifth term in a rematch with Republican Joyce Bentley in the 1st District, the most urban in the state.

The 4th Congressional District where Horsford won reelection encompasses a mix of urban and rural areas and leans Democratic but has been competitive since the Legislature created it in 2011.

Horsford, a former longtime state senator, became the first African American to represent Nevada in Congress when he won the seat in 2012. He lost his reelection bid in 2014, then recaptured the seat two years ago.

Based on final fundraising reports in late October, he had outspent Marchant $2.25 million to $1.2 million.

Horsford said he was monitoring the count in Nevada and other battleground states but was confident he would serve his next term with Joe Biden in the White House.

"I am proud of the work we have done from providing quality constituent services to all residents to standing up for access to affordable healthcare, getting people back to work safely and responsibly, and working to crush this virus during this pandemic as your congressman," he said in a statement after the race was called.

Sonner reported from Reno. Sam Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.