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Mark Amodei
American politician (born 1958) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mark Eugene Amodei (/ˈæmədeɪ/ AM-ə-day; born June 12, 1958)[citation needed] is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Nevada Assembly from 1997 to 1999 and in the Nevada Senate from 1999 to 2011. Amodei chaired the Nevada Republican Party from 2010 until 2011 before winning a special election to the U.S. House. Amodei is the dean of Nevada's congressional delegation, and is its only Republican.
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Early life, education and military service
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Amodei was born in Carson City, Nevada, the son of Joy LaRhe (née Longero) and Donald Mark Amodei. His father was of half Italian and half Irish descent, and one of his maternal great-grandfathers was Italian.[1] Amodei graduated from Carson High School in 1976, where he was student class president. He graduated from the University of Nevada in 1980 with a B.A. in political science,[2] and received his J.D. degree from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 1983.[3]
When Amodei entered the U.S. Army, he had not yet passed the bar exam, so he was assigned to an artillery unit. He attended The JAG School at the University of Virginia and entered U.S. Army JAG Corps after passing the bar. He became an Army JAG Corps officer prosecuting criminal matters, an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Assistant Post Judge Advocate. He was awarded the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Commendation Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. He served with the United States Army Judge Advocate General Corps from 1983 to 1987.[4] He returned home to become an attorney with the law firms Allison MacKenzie in Carson City and Kummer Kaempfer Bonner Renshaw and Ferrario (now Kaempfer Crowell) in Reno. He served as a lawyer with Allison, MacKenzie from 1987 to 2004 and with Kummer from 2004 to 2007.
As a lawyer, Amodei has been a sole practitioner since 2009. He served as president of the Nevada Mining Association from 2007 to 2008.
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Nevada legislature
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Elections
In 1996, Amodei was elected to the Nevada Assembly, representing Carson City. In 1998, he ran for the Nevada Senate in the Capital District.[5] He defeated incumbent Democratic State Senator Ernie Adler, 52%–48%.[6] In 2002, he was reelected to a second term with 84% of the vote.[7] In 2006, he was reelected to a third term with 78% of the vote.[8]
Tenure
Amodei was named the Outstanding Freshman Legislator in 1997.[9] He was selected to serve as president pro tempore of the Nevada Senate from 2003 to 2008.[4]
- 2003 tax increase
In 2003 Amodei and Terry Care co-authored a plan to increase taxes in Nevada by $1 billion. The plan was offered as an alternative to Governor Kenny Guinn's plan, which called for over $1 billion in revenue increases.[10] The final plan raised taxes by $873 million.[11]
- Collective bargaining
In 2009, Amodei supported a proposal to expand collective bargaining rights for state workers, who he believed were unfairly treated during the budget process.[12]
- Gas tax
In 2009, Amodei sponsored a bill that would have allowed for a gas tax increase in Washoe County; the plan gained public approval in an advisory vote.[13]
- Medical liability reform
In 2003, Amodei voted against a tort reform bill that would have changed Nevada's medical liability law.[14] He was the only Republican senator to vote against the bill.
Committee assignments
Amodei has served on the Legislative Commission, the Education Commission of the States, the Public Lands Committee, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Legislative Oversight Committee, as vice chair of the Governor's Task Force on Access to Public Health Care, as chair of the Education Technology Committee, and as a member of the Nevada Supreme Court's committee on court funding.
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2010 U.S. Senate election
Amodei ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Harry Reid, but dropped out before election day.
U.S. House of Representatives
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Elections
2011
On September 13, 2011, Nevada's 2nd congressional district elected Amodei to replace U.S. Representative Dean Heller. Heller had been appointed to fill John Ensign's seat in the U.S. Senate after Ensign resigned from the position. Amodei announced his bid for the congressional seat in May 2011. The next month, he won the Republican nomination by taking 221 out of 323 ballots. In the primary, he defeated State Senator Greg Brower, who received 56 votes, and U.S. Navy veteran Kirk Lippold, who received 46 votes.[15]
Amodei defeated Democratic nominee Kate Marshall 58%–36%. He won every county in the district.[16]
2012
Amodei ran for a full term against Democrat Samuel Koepnick. He was endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund.[17] He did so in a district that had been made slightly more compact than its predecessor in redistricting. It lost almost all of its southern portion to the new 4th district. Even so, it was still the eighth-largest district in the country that did not cover an entire state. Amodei defeated Koepnick 58%–36%.[18][19]
2014
Amodei ran for reelection to his second full term. He defeated Democrat Kristen Spees, 65.8% to 27.9%.[20]
2016
Amodei ran for reelection to a third full term. He defeated Democrat Chip Evans, 58.3% to 36.9%.[21]
2018
Amodei ran for reelection to a fourth full term. He defeated Democrat Clint Koble, 58.2% to 41.8%.[22]
2020
Amodei ran for reelection to a fifth full term. He defeated Democrat Patricia Ackerman, 56.5% to 40.7%.[23]
2022
Amodei
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Amodei ran for reelection to a sixth full term. His voting record prompted several primary challengers for the Republican nomination, with four candidates running against him. Amodei won the crowded primary with 54.9% of the vote. The Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC endorsed by Kevin McCarthy, spent over $200,000 supporting him in the primary.[24]
Amodei went on to defeat Democrat Elizabeth Krause in the general election, 59.7% to 37.8%
2024
Amodei ran for reelection to a seventh full term. He won the Republican primary with 64% of the vote, and went on to win in the general election with 55% of the vote against Independent candidate Greg Kidd.
Tenure
Amodei was sworn in on September 15, 2011.[25]
Amodei voted against the bill to end the United States federal government shutdown of 2013. Of the vote, he said, "During two campaigns, I told Nevadans I would give my full attention to such issues as reining in runaway federal spending, debt, and the harmful aspects of the Affordable Care Act. Unlike many in this town, I will not test your memories and hope you have forgotten. I will continue to pursue these necessary goals. Nothing in this legislation changes the real threats to our country's economy."[26]
Amodei received a 0% rating from Planned Parenthood's 2014 Congressional Scorecard for supporting a nationwide abortion ban after 20 weeks and banning abortion access in the District of Columbia and through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[27]
A moderate Republican[28][29][30][31] and member of the centrist Republican Governance Group, Amodei was the first House Republican to support a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump in his first impeachment on September 27, 2019.[32] National news media began to refer to Amodei as the first House Republican to support impeachment. A spokesman then further clarified his position by stating Amodei supported an inquiry but not impeachment.[33]
Amodei has also repeatedly backed measures like DACA (even signing a discharge petition to force a vote), and frequently opposes hardline GOP positions such as Trump-style mass deportation rhetoric, trade tariffs, and deep spending cuts.
Government spending
In June 2025, Amodei was one of 4 House Republicans to vote against a $9.4 billion rescissions package backed by the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency.[34]
Immigration
Amodei voted for the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, which authorized DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.[35][36]
Amodei voted for the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1158), which effectively prohibits ICE from cooperating with Health and Human Services to detain or remove illegal alien sponsors of unaccompanied alien children (UACs).[37]
Amodei supports Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).[38]
In 2021, Amodei was one of 30 Republicans to vote to give legal status to illegal immigrant agricultural workers.
In 2024, as chair of the Homeland Security subcommittee in the Appropriations Committee, Amodei cast doubt on the logistics of mass deportations for the incoming Trump administration, and suggested that long-settled illegal immigrants should be treated with leniency.[39]
Israel-Palestine
Amodei voted to provide Israel with financial support following October 7 attacks.[40][41]
LGBT rights
In 2021, Amodei was one of 18 House Republicans to sponsor the Fairness for All Act, the Republican alternative to the Equality Act.[42] The bill's stated goal is to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and simultaneously protect the free exercise of religion.
In December 2022, Amodei voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages. He stated that his opposition was based on the belief that Nevada voters had already approved same-sex marriage through a 2020 referendum, and that federal legislation on an issue traditionally governed by states was unnecessary. He also referred to the bill as a “messaging bill” that lacked proper hearings and consideration.[43][44]
In April 2023, Amodei voted in favor of the Protect Women and Girls in Sports Act, a bill that would prohibit transgender women and girls from participating in school sports programs designated for females. The bill passed the House of Representatives on a party-line vote but did not advance in the Senate.[45]
Legislation
On July 25, 2014, Amodei introduced the Northern Nevada Land Conservation and Economic Development Act (H.R. 5205; 113th Congress), a bill that would require the Bureau of Land Management to convey certain federal lands in Nevada to other government entities.[46] The bill is a package of numerous other bills related to land conveyance in Nevada, which make up the bulk of Amodei's legislation.[47]
Controversies and criticism
2014 ethics complaint over campaign material
In October 2014, Amodei’s Democratic challenger Kristen Spees filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics, alleging that his campaign improperly used official congressional web domains to promote campaign material—raising concerns about the separation of government resources from partisan activity. The complaint did not result in any formal sanctions.[48]
Public land transfers
In 2015, the Republican-controlled Nevada Legislature passed a resolution urging Congress to transfer millions of acres of federally managed land to state control. Following this, in 2016, Amodei introduced the Honor the Nevada Enabling Act of 1864, which proposed transferring large amounts of federal public land back to Nevada. However, after public backlash from recreationists, hunters, and other local stakeholders during town halls across the state, Amodei withdrew the legislation in 2017.[49]
Handling of student phone call
In March 2018, Amodei defended his office's decision to contact Robert McQueen High School after a student, Noah Christiansen, called the congressman’s office and used profane language while urging support for gun control legislation. During the call, Christiansen criticized lawmakers for inaction on gun violence, reportedly telling staff to “get off their f---ing asses” and support raising the minimum age to purchase a gun and banning bump stock devices. After the school was contacted by Amodei’s office, Christiansen was briefly suspended, prompting criticism from the ACLU of Nevada, which accused the congressman’s office of retaliation and infringing on the student’s free speech rights.[50]
Support for Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene
In February 2021, Amodei voted against a bipartisan resolution to remove Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from her House committee assignments. Greene had faced widespread criticism for endorsing conspiracy theories and making inflammatory remarks—including comments about the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. Amodei defended his vote as opposition to what he characterized as partisan hypocrisy. Nevada Democratic leaders criticized his decision as enabling extremist rhetoric in Congress.[51][52]
Vote against January 6 Commission
In May 2021, Amodei voted against H.R. 3233, the bill to establish an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 United States Capitol attack. He described the event as a tragedy but argued that the proposal had become “hyper‑politicized” and might duplicate existing congressional investigations. Critics said his vote undermined accountability following the insurrection.[53][54]
Constituent engagement and missed votes
Rep. Amodei has not held an open town hall for the general public since April 2017, when he co‑hosted an event with then‑Senator Dean Heller in Reno on health care and immigration. Since then, he has hosted only limited-topic meetings (e.g., for veterans). In March 2025, he referred to town halls as a “code word for, ‘Let’s go bully the shit out of somebody in public,’” prompting backlash from constituents and civic groups demanding greater accessibility.[55][56]
Advocates have organized protests and petitions—particularly in Northern Nevada—calling for him to meet with voters face-to-face.[57]
Amodei has also been criticized for missing more votes than the median member of the House during 2024–2025. Watchdog groups cited his attendance record as a concern for accountability.[58]
Ending Presidential Overreach on Public Lands Act
In February 2025, Amodei introduced the Ending Presidential Overreach on Public Lands Act, which would require congressional approval for national monument designations under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Criticism came from environmental organizations and Indigenous leaders—who warned the bill would weaken protections for lands like Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada.[59]
Budget amendment to sell public lands
In May 2025, during budget reconciliation, Amodei co-sponsored a last-minute amendment authorizing the sale or exchange of up to 450,000 acres of Nevada public lands across counties including Clark, Washoe, Lyon, and Pershing. The proceeds were directed to the U.S. Treasury for federal tax cuts, rather than remaining in local conservation or infrastructure funds.
The amendment drew harsh criticism from Nevada tribal governments, environmental groups, and the state’s Democratic delegation—who called it a “dead-of-night” betrayal that undermined local revenue streams. Amodei defended the move as reflecting long-standing requests from local governments and as constrained by federal budget rules.[60][61][62]
Committee assignments
For the 119th Congress:[63]
Caucus memberships
2020 presidential election
Amodei did not join the majority of House Republican in signing an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. Amodei voted to certify both Arizona's and Pennsylvania's results in the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count.
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Electoral history
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Personal life
Amodei has two adult daughters: Erin, a nursing student at Truckee Meadows Community College, and Ryanne, a physician trainer on the DaVinci Robotic Surgical Instrument and former engineer in the United States Navy.[citation needed] He was previously married to Sondra Amodei (née Staub) and later to Michelle Amodei; both marriages ended in divorce.[81]
References
External links
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