Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Dave Flippo, a veteran with extensive experience in international deployments, including serving as a logistics officer in Iraq before the 2003 invasion, is currently engaged in a challenging political contest. He is vying for a congressional seat in a Republican-leaning open swing district that encompasses a significant portion of northern Nevada.
Nevada is often considered a pivotal bellwether state in the western United States. It is a fiercely contested region characterized by a robust economy and rapid population growth, reflecting a common political pattern: a notable divide between its rural and urban populations.
While former President Trump secured Nevada by a modest margin in 2024, and Governor Joe Lombardo defeated a Democratic incumbent in 2022, the state's political landscape remains complex. Democrats hold three of Nevada's four congressional districts, both of its Senate seats, and maintain substantial majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.
A Newcomer's Candidacy and Primary Victory
Flippo successfully clinched the Republican nomination, overcoming a well-known primary opponent from the Nevada legislature who had establishment backing.
"Up in the north, it's an R+7 district, and Trump won that district by 14. It's a conservative district. Running against the establishment versus a conservative candidate who had been endorsed by Turning Point, Club for Growth, President Trump endorsed me. Obviously, the conservative people in the northern Nevada area wanted a conservative in this seat."
Having no prior experience in elected office, Flippo presents his status as a political outsider as an asset rather than a disadvantage.
"I beat the establishment. I think people are tired of the establishment politicians, the politicians that…are there just to be a moderate, be that middle ground. I think we need fighters in Congress. I think we need people in Congress that are ready to stand up, stand up for the American people, and here in Nevada, stand up for Nevadans."
Foreign Policy and Fiscal Priorities
Much of Flippo's military career was spent in the Middle East. He asserts that former President Trump's policy toward Iran is aimed at concluding a conflict, not initiating one.
"What President Trump is doing with the Strait of Hormuz and Iran, this has been a 47-year conflict. Some in the media have been saying that Trump is starting a forever war, but in my opinion, he's ending it. Most all of my career was in the Middle East, fighting because of Iran and what they're doing with Israel and with Hezbollah and Hamas and the Houthis. What Iran has done is over, and things are going to change, and President Trump sees that. I fully support what President Trump is doing. We need to open up the strait, it needs to be a clear waterway. We need the flow of oil to start again."
Flippo contends that voters in northern Nevada seek a constitutional conservative, and he is prepared to tackle budgetary challenges as the national debt approaches $40 trillion.
"We have to get to a balanced budget. We have to get this deficit under control. What are we, $39 trillion in debt now and it keeps climbing? Something has to be done. We have to stop spending money that we don't have. We need to stop expanding government. And that's what's been happening over the years. We just keep expanding and expanding. You know, I'm a constitutional conservative: government has four purposes and if you go beyond those four purposes, it belongs to the states. And the government has taken on so much now that we just keep getting more and more in debt. And it's time that we have representatives in Congress that are ready to stop that."
Addressing Immigration and Contrasting Philosophies
Illegal immigration is a core issue for Flippo, who frames the problem in economic terms and expresses concern about its broader impact on public policy.
"Illegal immigration is a problem in the United States. And if you look at what's happened in the last six years under Biden and the open borders policies and the 20 to 30 million people that were allowed to come in, what has that done? It's caused housing costs to go up. That's a supply and demand issue. 20 million people. That's 20 cities the size of Las Vegas, right? What does that mean? That means all those schools, the police departments, the fire departments, all those social service programs. All that has to be paid for by tax dollars, by taxpayers. 20 cities the size of Las Vegas, 40 cities the size of Reno. That's a lot. That's a lot to ask for the taxpayers to come in all at once."
Despite the district's Republican lean, Democrats believe they have put forward a strong candidate in former Nevada Assembly Majority Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson. Flippo, while not complacent, believes the clear ideological difference between his conservative stance and her progressive voting record will be advantageous.
"She's a big government [supporter], big spender. She's voted to raise taxes 12 times here in Nevada. She voted for the largest tax increase in Nevada's history. She voted for Planned Parenthood funding. She voted for drivers licenses for illegals. I mean, she has a voting record that she says she's very proud of. And I don't believe that's something to be proud of."
Flippo is confident that former President Trump's endorsement is a significant asset in his district, and he believes this support, alongside backing from Governor Lombardo, will carry substantial weight with voters.
"My district in northern Nevada, District 2, is an R+7 that Trump won by 14. So Trump obviously carries some weight in northern Nevada. It's a conservative part of this state, which is different than the southern part. Getting on a team with the governor being united, getting the vote out is going to be critical. And having Trump on my side up in the north is going to be a huge factor in winning this."
