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.^[1][2][3][4]

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.

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.^[5] 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,^[6] and received his J.D. degree from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 1983.^[7]

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.^[8] 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.

In 1996, Amodei was elected to the Nevada Assembly, representing Carson City. In 1998, he ran for the Nevada Senate in the Capital District.^[9] He defeated incumbent Democratic State Senator Ernie Adler, 52%–48%.^[10] In 2002, he was reelected to a second term with 84% of the vote.^[11] In 2006, he was reelected to a third term with 78% of the vote.^[12]

Amodei was named the Outstanding Freshman Legislator in 1997.^[13] He was selected to serve as president pro tempore of the Nevada Senate from 2003 to 2008.^[8]

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.^[14] The final plan raised taxes by $873 million.^[15]

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.^[16]

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.^[17]

Medical liability reform

In 2003, Amodei voted against a tort reform bill that would have changed Nevada’s medical liability law.^[18] He was the only Republican senator to vote against the bill.

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.

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.

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.^[19]

Amodei defeated Democratic nominee Kate Marshall 58%–36%. He won every county in the district.^[20]

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).^[21] 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%.^[22][23]

Amodei ran for reelection to his second full term. He defeated Democrat Kristen Spees, 65.8% to 27.9%.^[24]

Amodei ran for reelection to a third full term. He defeated Democrat Chip Evans, 58.3% to 36.9%.^[25]

Amodei ran for reelection to a fourth full term. He defeated Democrat Clint Koble, 58.2% to 41.8%.^[26]

Amodei ran for reelection to a fifth full term. He defeated Democrat Patricia Ackerman, 56.5% to 40.7%.^[27]

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%.^[27]

The Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC endorsed by Kevin McCarthy, spent over $200,000 supporting Mark Amodei in the primary.^[28]

Amodei was sworn in on September 15, 2011.^[29]

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.”^[30]

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.^[31]

Amodei announced his support for a House impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump 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 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.^[34][35]

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).^[36]

Amodei supports Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).^[37]

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

Amodei voted to provide Israel with financial support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.^[38][39]

In 2021, Amodei was among the House Republicans to sponsor the Fairness for All Act, the Republican alternative to the Equality Act.^[40] 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.

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.^[41] The bill is a package of numerous other bills related to land conveyance in Nevada, which make up the bulk of Amodei’s legislation.^[42]

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

• Congressional Western Caucus^[43]
• Climate Solutions Caucus^[44]
• U.S.-Japan Caucus^[45]
• Republican Governance Group^[46]
• Problem Solvers Caucus (former)^[47][48]

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.

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.^{[citation needed]}

• Congressman Mark Amodei official U.S. House website
• Amodei for Congress
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Mark Amodei at Curlie
• 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