Nevada GOP voters choose Trump-backed US House candidate in one of state's high-profile races

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Retired Air Force Lt. Col. David Flippo has won the Republican primary in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District after securing President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the closing weeks of the campaign.

The race, which was called Wednesday, put Trump opposite Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo and retiring Rep. Mark Amodei, who both backed former state Sen. James Settelmeyer. Amodei announced he was retiring after 15 years, opening up a competitive primary for Nevada’s only Republican-held House seat.

Flippo said he will fight “relentlessly” for secure borders, American energy, tax cuts, national defense and “the America First agenda our country needs.”

“Nevada deserves a fighter, and that’s exactly what I will deliver,” he said in a statement.

Democrats had hoped for a Flippo victory, thinking it would make it easier for them to win over less partisan voters in November in the conservative-leaning district. They nominated the chief of staff to state Attorney General Aaron Ford, former majority floor leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson.

“I will ensure that Nevada families have an authentic Nevadan voice fighting for their needs in Washington DC,” Benitez-Thompson said in a Wednesday morning statement.

The 2nd District race is one of several Nevada contests that will be watched closely this year. In southern Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Susie Lee will face Marty O’Donnell, a composer known for writing the soundtrack to the video game “Halo.”

Trump won the 3rd district in 2024 and backed O’Donnell, who thanked Trump in his victory statement.

Tuesday’s primary also set the general election contest for governor, with Ford defeating a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary and moving on to face Gov. Lombardo. The incumbent, a former Clark County sheriff, is running on his record of public safety and job creation while pledging to work on housing affordability in a second term.

Ford is tying Lombardo to Trump in placing blame for soaring prices across the state and has pledged to lower costs for families. He would be the state’s first Black governor if elected in November.

State Democrats at a Wednesday news conference argued they have an opening in Nevada, which Trump won by 3 percentage points in 2024, due to the rising cost of living. The state was until recently known as one of the most affordable places to live in the country, but rising home prices have pinched many who fled there to escape real estate spirals in places like California.

“This is all about strengthening the working class, and we’re going to once again be a state where you can actually afford to live your own version of the American Dream,” Ford said in the Las Vegas news conference.

In other races for statewide offices, Republican primaries for attorney general and secretary of state included several candidates who had pushed election conspiracy theories or been skeptical of election operations. Adriana Guzmán Fralick, who has expressed concerns about voting security, won the GOP nomination for attorney general and will face Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro.

The Republican primary for secretary of state, the office that oversees elections, included Jim Marchant, a former state lawmaker who has said the 2020 election “ was probably stolen,” and Sharron Angle, a former state lawmaker who was part of an effort to block the certification of Nevada’s 2020 election results. Another candidate who was competitive in the race, Shirley Folkins-Roberts, is an attorney who has denied that there is widespread voting fraud in Nevada.

In the 2nd District race, Flippo said he understands issues important to the region, including mining, water rights and fuel prices. He sought to turn Settelmeyer’s long political record into a liability, pointing to votes he said did not match conservative values.

He moved to the district this election cycle after losing a race in southern Nevada in 2024. The 2nd District covers all northern Nevada. It mostly rural but includes the major battleground county of Washoe, home to Reno.

Nicole Cannizzaro, the Nevada Democratic candidate for attorney general, speaks at a press conference Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Nevada Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford smiles during a press conference Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, center, poses with supporters outside a vote center Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford, attorney general of Nevada, speaks during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

David Flippo, a Republican candidate for Congress in Nevada's 2nd district, speaks during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/William Hale Irwin)

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Sunday that it recalled its ambassador to Argentina after President Javier Milei insulted Brazilian officials while in their country.

The decision comes a day after Milei was in Sao Paulo participating in an event where Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, a son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, was confirmed as the presidential candidate of his father’s party.

During his speech at Saturday’s event, Milei accused Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of being a “thief” and a “delinquent,” among other things. Milei also accused Supreme Federal Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes of being “trash” after he denied the Argentine president a visit to Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest serving a 27-year sentence over a coup attempt.

The president of the Supreme Federal Court, Minister Edson Fachin, said Milei’s comments were a “disrespectful reference to a magistrate of the highest court in the country, made on Brazilian soil.”

A spokesperson for Brazil’s foreign affairs ministry said Ambassador Julio Bitelli was recalled for consultations following Milei’s statements.

Lula has not publicly addressed Milei's remarks, but in an opinion piece published Sunday by The Washington Post in which he called U.S. tariffs against Brazil “a strategic mistake,” he asserted that “Brazil’s destiny is determined only by Brazilians without external interference, without subservience.”

Those comments come a day after Brazil's Foreign Ministry denied visas to two U.S. State Department officials who sought to travel to the South American nation next week. The ministry did not offer an explanation.

Lula is seeking reelection and will run against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, whose family has many ties with the Trump administration.

Brazilian Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro holds a Brazil national flag as Argentina's President Javier Milei holds an Argentina local selection jersey, during the Liberal Party convention where Bolsonaro was confirmed as the party's presidential candidate, in Sao Paulo, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)

Brazilian Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, right, handles an oversized pair of scissors, accompanied by Argentina's President Javier Milei during the Liberal Party convention where Bolsonaro was confirmed as the party's presidential candidate, in Sao Paulo, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ettore Chiereguini)