News - April 5, 2026 - by Ray Hagar

Former State Sen. James Settelmeyer has already wrapped up the Republican endorsements of Gov. Joe Lombardo and outgoing U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei in his campaign to replace Amodei as Nevada's 2nd U.S. House District representative.

Settelmeyer, however, is not expecting any endorsement from President Trump for the June 9th Republican primary, he said recently on Nevada Newsmakers.

"There were discussions earlier on and Trump has indicated that he's not going to endorse anybody in this race," Settelmeyer told host Sam Shad. "He is staying out of it. So we'll see. Who knows?"

If Trump decides to endorse at a later date, Settelmeyer hopes the President remembers the small part Settelmeyer played in Trump's past campaigns.

Settelmeyer is facing 14 other Republicans in the June primary. The GOP primary winner will face the survivor of the seven-candidate Democratic primary in the November general election.

"You know, I had the pleasure of kind-of being the warm up man for him (Trump) a long time ago, during his different campaigns," Settelmeyer said. "I was his co-chair on one of his elections with Dr. (Robin) Titus, who is now a state senator, and, of course, with Mr. (Adam) Laxalt (Nevada's former attorney general)."

"So obviously, I've been involved in his campaign and talked to him over time," Settelmeyer added. "However, to my knowledge, he's staying out of this endorsement."

Settelmeyer, instead, will run on his own record. It includes decades of experience with agriculture, water and conservation. All are major components in a distinctly conservative district that includes a vast swath of rural Nevada and the politically-purple urban area of Reno and Sparks.

Settelmeyer -- a fourth-generation Nevadan who runs a working ranch in Gardnerville, -- resigned last month as director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to run for Congress.

Before that, he was the State Senate Minority Leader at the Nevada Legislature and former assemblyman for a district centered in Douglas County.

He was first elected to the Assembly in 2006 and was termed out in the State Senate after the 2019 session.

"I firmly believe that the citizens of CD-2 want someone that's well-rounded, has experience in a lot of different fields that represent Congressional District 2 and has legislative experience, which I have the most of any candidate in the race, Republican or Democrat," Settelmeyer said.

Life in agriculture
.
Before he entered politics, Settelmeyer's life was centered on agriculture. He served as chairman of the Carson Valley Conservation District, as well as chairman of the Nevada State Conservation Commission.

Settelmeyer was also appointed chairman of District Nine of the federal Office of the National Ombudsman, Small Business Administration in October 2008.

"I've been very fortunate," Settelmeyer said. "You know, I grew up in agriculture my whole life -- fourth generation Nevadan. I went to (the University of) Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo. Got a degree there, came back, attended online law school and got in on the (Carson Valley) Conservation District for 28 years, which was actually founded by my great uncle.

"I went from that to the Nevada State Conservation Commission for six years, did six years on the federal side on the Small Business Administration Ombudsman program, helping protect small businesses and get them through the malaise that sometimes the federal government puts in the way.

"To me, what is very important is trying to help individuals, whether it be a person or a business, trying to navigate the federal process or state process and try to get them solutions or answers."

Nevada's 2nd U.S. House District voters have only elected Republicans since the district was created after the census of 1980. Each were home-grown Northern Nevadans who stayed on Capitol Hill for at least a decade.

Nevada's first CD-2 representative, Reno's Barbara Vucanovich, served 14 years and was Nevada's first female member of Congress. She traversed the vast district in a small airplane her husband flew.

Next, Jim Gibbons, member of the Sparks High Hall of Fame, served 10 years before winning Nevada's 2006 gubernatorial election.

Dean Heller, son of former Tahoe-Carson Speedway champion "BlackJack" Heller and an advocate for military veterans, was elected to the 2nd U.S House District seat in 2006, appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2011 and stayed there until 2019.

Now, Amodei, a member of Carson High's 1975 fabled state championship basketball team, has served almost 15 years.

Amodei was first elected to Congress in a special election in 2011.

Settelmeyer said he would continue the tradition of long-serving CD-2 congressmen (note: Vucanovich preferred the title "congressman" instead of "congresswoman").

"We need to have somebody who is willing to go back there for a while in order to gain the seniority and the ability to have influence and respect and be able to communicate with fellow members of Congress, whether it be in the Senate or within Congress," Settelmeyer said.

Currently, Amodei is the only Republican in Nevada's federal delegation. Settelmeyer said he can work across party lines.

"You know, I've had the pleasure of working with every member of the Nevada (congressional) delegation currently, and will continue to try to do what's best for the state of Nevada and the nation overall."

His political experience and the contacts he has made in his years of public service will allow him to hit the ground running if elected to Congress, he said.

"I think that because of the relationships across the state of Nevada and of course, with Congressman Amodei and Gov. Lombardo, I'm going to be able to step into the position and be able to have the ability to convey those thoughts and concerns (about Nevada) to the rest of the members of Congress," Settelmeyer said.

"And hopefully, I'll have the opportunity to make sure that those voices are heard and that they (members of Congress) understand some of the unique issues that the state of Nevada faces."

Back on the ranch

If elected, Settelmeyer said the day-to-day running of his Gardnerville ranch will be turned over to family.

"Luckily, I have great family," Settelmeyer said. "My brother-in-law and my oldest daughter are over working on the ranch currently."

Yet he's looking for more hands. Neighbors have been a big help, though.

"I have several friends that have stepped up and said, 'Hey, anything you need, we'll help out," Settelmeyer said.

"When we do our branding and things of that nature, it's not even a question. We just put a call out to our friends, 'Hey, we're going to brand on this day,' and next thing I know, we've got 20, 30 volunteers. And the only requirement is: You make sure to feed them, as my father would say," Settelmeyer said.

"So we'll go to the JT (Basque Bar and Dining Room in Gardnerville) afterwards and have a good Basque lunch and get some work done," Settelmeyer said.

If elected, Settelmeyer said he'll sometimes miss his life on the ranch when in Washington D.C.

"It will be a little bit sad because I am used to the idea of waking up in the morning, as I did this morning, when I fed 300 cows to start the day, and then go do something else, " he said.