Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei poses for photo next to his 1971 GMC 1500 Custom at Hobart Reservoir Trail in Carson City, Nevada Monday, April 25, 2022.
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 | 2 a.m.
CARSON CITY — Rep. Mark Amodei pulls up in his rust-orange GMC truck that his father bought in 1971 from a shop down the road. He steps out in Merrells, jeans and a flannel and greets the waitress at Heidi’s Family Restaurant before ordering a burger.
Amodei, who has been a congressman for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District since 2011, representing Northern Nevada and about 776,150 people, paints himself as a straightforward kind of guy who doesn’t go to events with an entourage.
Amodei is the sole congressional representative for the vast northern part of Nevada, and the only Republican in Nevada’s federal delegation.
“Not that I would do something that’s bad for the country (but) that is good for the state,” Amodei said. “But it’s like, you’re responsible, the only one solely responsible for this part of the neck of the woods.”
His seat is not necessarily secure. A confident candidate with ample experience winning Republican primaries has joined the race.
Danny Tarkanian, a Douglas County commissioner and son of legendary UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian and higher education Regent Lois Tarkanian, is Amodei’s top contender in next month’s GOP primary. Other candidates in the race are Jesse Douglas Hurley, a student studying cybersecurity and information assurance; Brian Nadell, owner of a marketing company and professional poker player; and military veteran Joel Beck.
About two years ago, Tarkanian moved to Northern Nevada from Las Vegas, where he lost general elections in Democrat-heavy districts — he was defeated three times attempting to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, most recently in 2018 when he lost to Susie Lee in the general election for Congressional District 3. He also flirted with runs for the U.S. Senate in 2010 and 2018.
But in Republican primaries, he’s got a stellar record. After losing the 2010 primary for U.S. Senate, Tarkanian in 2012 defeated current Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske in the GOP primary for Congressional District 4. He bested then-Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson and current Las Vegas Councilwoman Michele Fiore in 2016 in the Congressional District 3 Republican primary.
Now in the heavily-Republican 2nd Congressional District of Northern Nevada, Tarkanian is taking another crack at getting to Congress. Regarding his previous losses, Tarkanian said it’s only “a temporary setback until you quit. You’ve had certain failures. You keep trying until you’re successful.”
“I’ve never made excuses after I’ve lost,” he said. “If you jump into a race and you lose, you can’t complain about it.”
Covering the northernmost part of the state with Humboldt County down to the state’s capital of Carson City, the 2nd District accounts for 80% of all gold extracted by mines in the U.S. It’s also home to a proposed mine that could become the country’s largest lithium extractor. The U.S. Navy trains in Fallon for war and practices with bombing ranges, and several Native American tribes live and work to protect and conserve land in the district.
In his nearly 12 years in office, Amodei said his biggest accomplishment has been using his position as a member of the House Appropriations Committee to conduct oversight of federal agencies, especially the National Environmental Policy Act process, which he thinks plays too much of a waiting game with companies seeking approval for a project.
“NEPA has been weaponized over the years,” Amodei said. “If we can make it hard enough, long enough, (then) the money will go elsewhere.”
He pointed to the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine, which has been in the permitting process for 10 years, and the proposed Rhyolite Ridge mine, which is going through a tough process as it faces hurdles related to Tiehm’s buckwheat, a species that only grows over a 10-acre area and that is being considered for federal protection. “I’m not saying they should all get a yes, but it shouldn’t be a marathon to say, ‘Hey, give me an answer.’ ”
Among his other notable accomplishments, at the height of COVID-19 shutdowns, Amodei influenced the Small Business Administration to repeal its prohibition on small gaming businesses to have access to the Paycheck Protection Program, and he thinks he has done a good job providing Northern Nevadans services, getting more than $10 million in benefits returned to his constituents that were withheld by the federal government.
Former Las Vegas resident Danny Tarkanian is running for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District against incumbent Rep. Mark Amodei.
Tarkanian doesn’t think that’s good enough. He argues that Amodei hasn’t done much in his 11 years on the job, especially as it relates to securing the southern border and inflation.
He criticized Amodei for supporting illegal immigrants getting citizenship.
Giving benefits to people who come to the country illegally will encourage more people to come illegally, Tarkanian said.
“I think we need to have a system that works where you can bring people legally in the correct way,” Tarkanian said. “And we could do it if we really wanted to, instead of having a dysfunctional system that both parties are using as political fodder and getting nothing accomplished.”
Amodei recently supported the Farm Labor Workforce Modernization Act, which gives migrant farmworkers a pathway to permanent residency after meeting certain requirements and performing a certain amount of agricultural labor for a number of years. Amodei and 28 other Republicans voted with Democrats in support of the act.
Amodei has countered that even former President Donald Trump said merit-based immigration was acceptable, and notes that the Constitution says Congress “shall establish” a system of naturalization.
Tarkanian has also taken a swing at Amodei for approving government spending bills such as the recent federal omnibus package, but Amodei defends his record, saying it helped fund better border security and help address forest fires in the Tahoe region.
“If you keep spending money and borrowing money, the prices of those goods are going to go up,” Tarkanian said. “And that’s what’s happening.”
For his part, Amodei has taken shots at Tarkanian for claiming to know what’s best for Northern Nevadans after only recently moving to the area.
“When we talk about the people of CD2 and the roots in the district and representing the district for seven years longer than you even were in the district, I’ll stand by that record in terms of being in touch with those folks and look forward to how they decide who they want to represent them for the next 24 months. ... You want to talk about representing the people of CD2? I was representing CD2 seven years longer than you were even in CD2,’ ” Amodei said during a debate in April.
Tarkanian countered that he moved away from Las Vegas to provide a better life for his family. Electing him rather than his incumbent opponent, he said, would be best for the district. “(Amodei) says he’s been in the office for so long ... and will bring more pork into the state. If voters feel that’s the reason why they should vote for him, then they should vote for him,” Tarkanian said. “But if the voters want someone to stand up for all the conservative principles they care about, then they should vote for me.”
On reproductive rights, Tarkanian criticized Amodei for his supporting of Planned Parenthood for years with taxpayer funding. Amodei did say he supported the organization through the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which aims to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.
Amodei said last month during a debate that Nevadans supported a women’s right to choose abortion up to six months of pregnancy, and Planned Parenthood provides necessary health services for indigent women. He also received an endorsement from the National Right to Life Committee last week.
If the Supreme Court follows through as expected and overturns Roe v. Wade, Tarkanian said he would not try to further limit access to abortions across the country but would instead leave the issue up to the states. Tarkanian characterized himself as “very pro-life,” but also doesn’t think it is his position to impose his religious beliefs on somebody else.
Both Amodei and Tarkanian seem aware of problems facing northern and rural Nevadans: the availability of affordable health care, and land issues with the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Amodei also hit on the communications between law enforcement agencies and the FBI, and veterans’ issues and sanitation.
Tarkanian wants more competition to lower health care prices. He argues that a national account paid through taxes that people who have pre-existing conditions can tap into for carewould ensure the cost of insurance is spread out more equally.
If Amodei wins reelection, he said his goals would change depending on which party gains control of Congress. If Republicans gain control of the House and Senate, he would focus on energy independence and making sure Nevada is a player in the energy and natural resources field when it comes to permitting. He wants to make a “drop dead date” for the NEPA process so companies must receive answers about their projects within a certain amount of time.
“If Nancy (Pelosi, the House speaker) stays in charge, and Chuck (Schumer, Senate majority leader) stays in charge, and Joe (Biden) is in the White House, then you know what? Things get a little bit easier in terms of voting, because you’re just going to vote no on everything,” Amodei said, before adding that he’s not prejudging anything.
Amodei said he realizes the complexities facing Native American tribes and their efforts to preserve land. The Fallon Naval Air Station in his district is seeking to expand, he said, and a few tribes are opposed, saying the sites the military wants to expand are important to the tribes’ history and culture. Amodei said he wants to keep looking for the best solutions.
“I’m not for, ‘Let’s ignore anybody’s cultural heritage,’ ” Amodei said, “but I also know, especially with as dangerous a place the world is these days, we expect our folks to go fight. … To do that with modern ammunition requires space.”
Tarkanian said he would be “the biggest advocate for Native Americans” if he was elected.
“Nobody’s been treated worse than they have,” he said. He said he would help tribes across the country as long as it’s in the best interest of everyone.
Neither Amodei nor Tarkanian is towing false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen or that mail-in ballots were submitted fraudulently in Nevada.
However, Tarkanian does not like the legislative measures passed automatically sending a mail-in ballot to all Nevada voters and allowing ballot harvesting. And while he doesn’t think there’s a strong signature verification process, he does not think there’s an established case that voter fraud has taken place.
“Am I confident that the election was fair? No, I’m not,” Tarkanian said. “But do we have any proof that there was massive election fraud here in Nevada, at least? I have not seen any.”
Amodei agrees.
“You find out that Nevada’s the center for election fraud,” he said, “it’s like, how do I stand up and say, ‘Where?’ ... If there’s smoke there, then we can have that discussion.”
Tarkanian arguably faces an uphill battle against Amodei, who has raised about $58,000 more in the first quarter of 2022 and has received endorsements from the Nevada Republican Party, the National Right to Life Committee, Veterans in Politics International and the House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik.
Yet, Tarkanian remains confident.
“This district is the only safe Republican seat in Nevada, is a conservative seat and it needs somebody out there who is going to fight for those principles that they care so much about,” he said.
