Mark Amodei

Mark Eugene Amodei is a Republican politician who has served as the U.S. Representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district since 2011. Born and raised in Carson City, Nevada, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1980 and a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 1983. Following law school, Amodei served as an officer in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1983 to 1987, where he reached the rank of Captain and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. Before entering federal office, Amodei had a long career in Nevada state politics and law. He served in the Nevada Assembly from 1997 to 1999 and subsequently in the Nevada Senate from 1999 to 2011, where he served as President Pro Tempore from 2003 to 2008. He also chaired the Nevada Republican Party from 2010 until his resignation in 2011 to run for Congress. Outside of public office, he worked as an attorney in private practice and served as the President of the Nevada Mining Association from 2007 to 2008. Amodei was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election on September 13, 2011, to fill the vacancy left by Dean Heller. In Congress, he is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and has chaired subcommittees on the Legislative Branch and Homeland Security. His legislative record is heavily focused on public land management, natural resource conservation, and veterans' services, particularly concerning the unique needs of northern Nevada. In early 2026, Amodei announced he would not seek re-election for a ninth term.

Mark Amodei is characterized as a fiscal conservative with a focus on land use and pragmatic governance. On healthcare, he supports repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act with market-based reforms, such as allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines, and he opposes single-payer systems like Medicare-for-All. Regarding the economy, he emphasizes reducing the national debt and curbing federal spending, while supporting domestic energy production and the streamlining of federal permitting processes for mining and rural development. On immigration, Amodei advocates for enhanced border security and has supported the construction of a border wall, yet he has also broken with party leadership to support legislative solutions for DACA recipients, including signing discharge petitions to force votes on the issue. His environmental stance focuses on the 'responsible stewardship' of public lands; he is a member of the Conservative Climate Caucus and has been a primary advocate for the Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act. Additionally, he consistently supports increased funding for veterans' healthcare clinics and services.