Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson wins election to U.S. House in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District

Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson won election Wednesday to the U.S. House of Representatives representing Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District, defeating Republican David Flippo. The victory comes in a conservative stronghold that was represented by Republican Rep. Mark Amodei for more than a decade. Benitez-Thompson is a former state Assembly majority leader who had support from labor groups. Flippo is an Air Force veteran who had President Donald Trump’s backing but not Amodei’s. Benitez-Thompson was critical of the president’s handling of the economy and has called for banning stock trading by members of Congress and ending corporate money in politics. The Associated Press declared Benitez-Thompson the winner at 9:29 p.m. EST.