Congressman Mark Amodei speaks to the Fernley Republican Women at their August meeting.
U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei recently addressed a packed Aug. 16 meeting of the Fernley Republican Women on his annual swing throughout Northern Nevada.
The Nevada Republican congressman who was first elected in 2011 uses the August recess to visit various groups and government agencies. He also spoke at the seventh annual Basque Fry earlier this month in Gardnerville.
“You are one of the bellwether clubs in a bellwether area of Nevada,” Amodei said, adding that he wanted feedback from the group.
The Carson City native said this is the fourth year of having Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House of Representatives. He said the 2022 general election could put the GOP in charge of the House. Amodei, the only Republican in Nevada’s delegation, railed on the excessive spending from both the Democratically-controlled House and Senate. He questioned the recent spending bill from the Senate that calls for the hiring of 87,000 additional employees for the Internal Revenue Service.
Amodei explained his vote against a bill to provide marriage equality.
“The people of Nevada voted for what they wanted the rules to be,” he said.
Amodei said the Republican Party continues to challenge and to question.
“We never agree on everything,” he said.
Amodei reflected on his thoughts about toying with a run for governor. Instead, he decided to seek another term in the House. He felt his role in the House is more important because he knows the rural counties and their concerns and the issues affecting a broad swath of Nevada.
“You’re only as good as your last election,” Amodei said.
Amodei said Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo is the Republican nominee for governor, and it’s time for the Republicans to support him. He also commended Joey Gilbert, the runner-up for governor in the primary election, and Sam Brown, a Reno businessman and Iraqi war veteran. Amodei said each “did a hell of a job.”
Amodei said Nevadans must also support former Attorney General Adam Laxalt in his bid to defeat U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.
State and national polling shows a tight race for both the gubernatorial and the Senate races.
Amodei said he will support whoever the Republican Party chooses to run for president in 2024. In 2016, he originally supported former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and then U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, also from the Sunshine State. He eventually supported former President Donald Trump in 2016 and then again in 2020. Amodei said the country governed “pretty damn good” four years under the Trump administration. He said the Democrats didn’t bring anything to the table except to say Trump “sucked.”
“How about those judges he appointed,” Amodei said of the three conservative judges who are now members of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Amodei said the Republicans must support their candidates in the statewide elections, especially for governor and U.S. Senate. Amodei, also faces re-election against Democratic challenger, Elizabeth Mercedes Krause, who holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. Amodei said his opponent lives in Las Vegas, which is not a county represented by Congressional District 2. Voter records.com also lists her residential address in Las Vegas.
Also running are Russell Best, Independent American Party, and Darryl Baber, Libertarian.
Amodei has been endorsed by both the National Rifle Association and the Nevada Republican Party.
