Mark Amodei

A Democrat has never won Nevada's Second Congressional District.

Benitez‑Thompson warns national Republicans may try to import a candidate into the open House race.

She thinks Amodei's actions in Congress around ICE funding made running for reelection more challenging for the congressman.

A former Democratic majority leader in the Nevada Legislature jumped into the race to replace retiring Rep. Mark Amodei this week, arguing that the open seat — long considered safely Republican — is suddenly up for grabs amid voter disillusionment and the possibility that national Republicans could attempt to "import" a candidate.

“I feel like there's change in the air,” Teresa Benitez-Thompson said Feb. 17.

Amodei’s decision not to seek reelection — which caught many in Northern Nevada politics off guard — reshaped the race and prompted Benitez‑Thompson to enter what is shaping up to be a crowded Democratic primary.

She also framed the race as a referendum on national Republican priorities — and on Amodei’s voting record in Washington — rather than a traditional partisan contest.

Winning won’t be easy. A Democrat has never carried Nevada’s Second Congressional District, covering the state's top half, since it was created in 1982.

Candidate with roots in Northern Nevada

Regardless of who wins the Second Congressional District seat, Benitez-Thompson believes it should be someone from Northern Nevada.

“From what I understand, Trump has told the Republicans to sit down and stand down, that he's going to be importing a candidate from Washington, D.C.,” she said.

Benitez-Thompson went to McQueen High and graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno. She's married to local TV meteorologist Jeff Thompson. They have four children.

She'll face at least six fellow Democrats in June's primary.

Rumors have swirled about which new Republicans might join the three who have already declared. Sam Brown, a previous U.S. Senate candidate in Nevada, has been floated as a possibility; he ran as a candidate in Texas before moving to Nevada.

“I think Nevadans want someone who is from their community more than anything else,” Benitez-Thompson said.

To her, this was one of Amodei’s big strengths. “He's from Carson City, and he knew the community,” she said.

Path forward — disillusionment in federal government

Amodei's retirement was the prime reason she decided to jump into the race.

“It got me thinking seriously about the district,” Benitez-Thompson said. “It’s a narrow path but I see a path forward.”

Republican voters outnumber Democratic voters by 13 percentage points in CD2.

Unhappiness with what's going on in Washington might help Democratic candidates, though.

“There is evidence throughout the country that people are disillusioned by the federal government — nonpartisans are disillusioned, Republicans are disillusioned — and they're voting in different ways that they never thought that they would before,” Benitez-Thompson said.

She thinks Amodei’s chairing the subcommittee that determines funding for the Department of Homeland Security and its high-profile ICE raids around the country has been hard on him.

“I think he knew he was going to have to justify a lot of his actions,” Benitez-Thompson said, “and I think he knew that he had a different, more challenging race because of that.”

Amodei also voted for President Donald Trump’s budget plan called the One Big Beautiful Bill. It included cuts to Medicare and other social services.

“There's not a community in Nevada that hasn't been negatively impacted by those,” she said.

She also said she wants to fight for state sovereignty from federal overreach and protect citizens’ rights.

“It sounds like a throwback to say this,” Benitez-Thompson said, “but the fight still continues against the good old boy network and what we're seeing happening as women still advocate for their voices to be heard and for victims to be believed with the (Jeffrey) Epstein files.”

Aaron Ford connection

Benitez-Thompson represented parts of Reno and the north valleys from 2010 to 2022 in the Assembly. She’s also been a licensed social worker for many years and is currently chief of staff for Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford.

Ford, who is running for governor, has been in the news this week over an ethics complaint regarding international trips and social media posts.

Benitez-Thompson said the situation didn’t affect her decision to seek Amodei’s seat.

“It’s absolutely not related at all,” she said. “Aaron Ford is the hardest working person in state government.”