Mark Amodei

Mark Amodei
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office September 13, 2011
Preceded by	Dean Heller
Chair of the Nevada Republican Party
In office May 15, 2010 – June 17, 2011
Preceded by	Chris Comfort
Succeeded by	Amy Tarkanian
Member of the Nevada Senate from the 17th district
In office February 1, 1999 – February 7, 2011
Preceded by	Ernie Adler
Succeeded by	James Settelmeyer
Member of the Nevada Assembly from the 40th district
In office January 20, 1997 – February 1, 1999
Preceded by	Thomas Fettic
Succeeded by	Bonnie Parnell
Personal details
Born	Mark Eugene Amodei (1958-06-12) June 12, 1958 Carson City, Nevada, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Sondra Amodei ​ (divorced)​ Michelle Amodei ​ (divorced)​
Children	2
Education	University of Nevada, Reno (BA) University of the Pacific (JD)
Website	House website
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1983–1987
Rank	Captain
Awards	Meritorious Service Medal Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal

Mark Eugene Amodei (/ˈæmədeɪ/ AM-ə-day; born June 12, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district since 2011. The only Republican in Nevada's congressional delegation since 2019, Amodei served in the Nevada Assembly from 1997 to 1999 and in the Nevada Senate, representing the Capital District, from 1999 to 2011.

Amodei is generally considered a moderate Republican, being a member of the Republican Governance Group, the first House Republican to support the impeachment inquiry during the first impeachment of Donald Trump (but voting against impeachment), and supporting programs such as DACA throughout his tenure.

Amodei chaired the Nevada Republican Party from 2010 until 2011, when he stepped down to run in the September 13, 2011, special election to succeed Dean Heller (who had been appointed to the U.S. Senate) as the U.S. representative for the state's 2nd congressional district. In 2019, Amodei became the dean of Nevada's congressional delegation and its sole Republican member after Heller lost his bid for reelection to the Senate.

Early life, education and military service

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. 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, and received his J.D. degree from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 1983.

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. 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.

Nevada legislature

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. He defeated incumbent Democratic State Senator Ernie Adler, 52%–48%. In 2002, he was reelected to a second term with 84% of the vote. In 2006, he was reelected to a third term with 78% of the vote.

Tenure

Amodei was named the Outstanding Freshman Legislator in 1997. He was selected to serve as president pro tempore of the Nevada Senate from 2003 to 2008.

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. The final plan raised taxes by $873 million.

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.

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.

Medical liability reform

In 2003, Amodei voted against a tort reform bill that would have changed Nevada's medical liability law. 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.

2010 U.S. Senate election

Main article: 2010 United States Senate election in Nevada

Amodei ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate against Democrat Harry Reid, the Majority Leader. He dropped out before election day, as State Assemblywoman Sharron Angle won the primary and lost the general election to Reid.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2011

Main article: 2011 Nevada's 2nd congressional district special election

Amodei being sworn-in by then-Speaker of the House John Boehner.

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.

Amodei defeated Democratic nominee Kate Marshall 58%–36%. He won every county in the district.

2012

See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada § District 2

Amodei during the 112th Congress

Amodei ran for a full term against Democrat Samuel Koepnick, an information technology employee for the State of Nevada. He was endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF). 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%.

2014

See also: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada § District 2

Amodei ran for reelection to his second full term. He defeated Democrat Kristen Spees, 65.8% to 27.9%.

2016

See also: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada § District 2

Amodei ran for reelection to a third full term. He defeated Democrat Chip Evans, 58.3% to 36.9%.

2018

See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada § District 2

Amodei ran for reelection to a fourth full term. He defeated Democrat Clint Koble, 58.2% to 41.8%.

2020

See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada § District 2

Amodei ran for reelection to a fifth full term. He defeated Democrat Patricia Ackerman, 56.5% to 40.7%.

2022

See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada § District 2

2022 GOP primary results by county:

  Amodei

•   40–50%
•   50–60%

Amodei ran for reelection to a sixth full term. He won the Republican primary with 54.9% of the vote and went on to defeat Democrat Elizabeth Krause, 59.7% to 37.8%.

The Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC endorsed by Kevin McCarthy, spent over $200,000 supporting Mark Amodei in the primary.

Tenure

Amodei was sworn in on September 15, 2011.

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."

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.

Amodei announced his support for a House impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump on September 27, 2019. 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.

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.

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).

Amodei supports Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

In 2021, Amodei was one of 30 Republicans to vote to give legal status to illegal immigrant agricultural workers.

Israel

Amodei voted to provide Israel with financial support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

LGBT rights

In 2021, Amodei was among the House Republicans to sponsor the Fairness for All Act, the Republican alternative to the Equality Act. 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.

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 (BLM) to convey certain federal lands in Nevada to other government entities. The bill is a package of numerous other bills related to land conveyance in Nevada, which make up the bulk of Amodei's legislation.

Committee assignments

114th Congress:

House Committee on Appropriations

• Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
• Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
• Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch

In the 112th and 113th Congress, Amodei served on the House Judiciary Committee, the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Veterans Affairs:

House Judiciary Committee

• Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet
• Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security

House Natural Resources Committee

• Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands
• Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

House Committee on Veterans Affairs

• Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
• Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Western Caucus
• Climate Solutions Caucus
• U.S.-Japan Caucus
• Republican Governance Group
• Problem Solvers Caucus (former)

2020 presidential election

Amodei did not join the majority of Republican members of Congress who signed 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.

Electoral history

1998 Nevada Senate election in the Capital District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Mark E. Amodei	12,348	53%
	Democratic	Ernie Adler (Incumbent)	10,896	47%
Majority			1,452	6%
Turnout			23,244
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

2002 Nevada Senate election in the Capital District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Mark E. Amodei	25,368	82%
	Democratic	David Schumann	4,962	16%
	Republican hold		Swing

2006 Nevada Senate election in the Capital District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Mark E. Amodei	27,039	78%
	Democratic	Ike Yochum	7,761	22%
	Republican hold		Swing

2011 Nevada 2nd Congressional District (Special Election)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark E. Amodei	74,976	58
	Democratic	Kate Marshall	46,669	36
	Independent	Helmuth Lehmann	5,354	4
	Independent American	Timothy Fasano	2,415	2
Total votes			129,414
	Republican hold

2012 Nevada 2nd Congressional District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark E. Amodei (Incumbent)	162,213	57.63
	Democratic	Samuel Koepnick	103,019	36.25
	Independent American	Michael L. Haines	11,166	3.97
	Independent American	Russell Best	6,051	2.15
Total votes			281,449	100.0
	Republican hold

2014 Nevada 2nd Congressional District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark E. Amodei (Incumbent)	122,402	65.73
	Democratic	Kristen Spees	52,016	27.93
	Independent American	Janine Hansen	11,792	6.33
Total votes			186,210	100.0
	Republican hold

2016 Nevada 2nd Congressional District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark E. Amodei (Incumbent)	182,676	58.30
	Democratic	H.D. "Chip" Evans	115,722	36.93
	Independent American	John H. Everhart	8,693	2.77
	No party affiliation	Drew Knight	6,245	1.99
Total votes			313,336	100.0
	Republican hold

2018 Nevada 2nd Congressional District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark E. Amodei (Incumbent)	167,435	58.23
	Democratic	Clint Koble	120,102	41.77
Total votes			287,537	100.00
	Republican hold

2020 Nevada 2nd Congressional District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark E. Amodei (incumbent)	216,078	56.5
	Democratic	Patricia Ackerman	155,780	40.7
	Independent American	Janine Hansen	10,815	2.8
Total votes			382,673	100.0
	Republican hold

2022 Nevada 2nd Congressional District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Amodei (incumbent)	185,467	59.7
	Democratic	Elizabeth Mercedes Krause	117,371	37.8
	Independent American	Russell Best	4,194	1.3
	Libertarian	Darryl Baber	3,466	1.1
Total votes			310,678	100.0
	Republican hold

Personal life

Amodei has two 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 U.S. Navy.

External links

• Congressman Mark Amodei official U.S. House website
• Amodei for Congress
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart