'One of the biggest upsets in history' flagged as seat never held by Dem goes blue

Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson won Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District, flipping a northern Nevada seat that has never been held by a Democrat, according to a race call by The Nevada Independent.

“One of the biggest upsets in Nevada history, a district never held by a Democrat in its 45 years of existence and a Trump+14 district,” wrote Jon Ralston, CEO and editor of The Nevada Independent.

With all 13 counties reporting, Benitez-Thompson had 50.37% of the vote to Republican David Flippo’s 44.45%, according to results from the Nevada secretary of state’s office shared by Axios congressional reporter Andrew Solender. Independent American Party candidate Lynn Chapman took 5.18%. Benitez-Thompson led by 16,124 votes out of more than 272,000 counted.

“Democrats have never represented this district since it was created in 1983,” Solender wrote. “‘We’re going to win,’ a Dem operative tells me.”

The district covers Reno and most of rural northern Nevada. President Donald Trump carried that particular district by 14 points in 2024, according to Ralston.

Benitez-Thompson’s win came as Democrats swept to control of the House on a night that saw the party flip seats across Republican-leaning territory.