WASHINGTON
Nevada's 2nd Congressional District, a Republican stronghold since the early 1980s, has tilted toward genuine competition. David Flippo, the GOP nominee backed by President Trump, is fending off allegations that he misrepresented his military service and lacks roots in the northern Nevada seat.
Mark Amodei, the retiring Republican congressman who held the district for 15 years, said the race is now competitive "like it has never been in the history since it was created." He traced the shift directly to Flippo. "It's to the candidate and the way he's run his campaign," Amodei said.
Flippo's campaign materials—including fundraising pitches and a video from a previous run for Congress—described him as "a recipient of the Bronze Star that he received for Valor." The claim is false. Flippo received a Bronze Star but not the "V" device, which specifically denotes valor in combat—a distinction veterans take seriously.
At a press conference, Flippo apologized and blamed a "young staffer" for conflating his award with a unit commendation. In an NPR interview, he said the language became "edited and convoluted" and that he "missed it" during review. The incorrect phrasing "worked its way back into his campaign materials," he said, adding: "Part of leadership is taking ownership. It was just an honest oversight."
The discrepancies extended to his campaign hat. A photo posted on Flippo's website showed him wearing two bronze "V" pins next to his Bronze Star medal—insignia he is not authorized to display. He wore the cap at campaign events through his June 9 primary victory party.
The conservative outlet Nevada News & Views first flagged the pins. When NPR pressed Flippo on them, he attributed both to his grandchildren, saying: "You know if you've lived with grandkids, when you ask them to put those things on your hat." He claimed to have another identical hat without the pins and said he lost track of where the second device went. "The grandkids ended up doing that," Flippo said.
After NPR's inquiry, Flippo's campaign replaced the photo on his website with a different image.
