NV-02 Republican nominee?
$35.1K
JUN 10, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleFormer State Senator
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyConservative Republican
Age55 years old (Mar 6, 1971)
GenderMale
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LocationNevada
BackgroundRancher
EducationCalifornia Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo — Agricultural Education/Agricultural Science
Notable personal detailsJames Arnold Settelmeyer is an American Republican politician and rancher/agriculturalist from Nevada. He served in the Nevada Assembly (2006–2010) and the Nevada Senate representing Senate District 17 (2010–2022), including as Nevada Senate Minority Leader (2018–2022). In 2023 he was appointed Director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and in 2026 he filed to run for the U.S. House in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District.
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Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports limiting new or higher taxes and opposes extending business/payroll taxes; advocates protecting the state Rainy Day Fund from legislative raids and preserving supermajority requirements for tax increases. Emphasizes avoiding tax increases that could be passed to consumers and prioritizes spending restraint.
Healthcare
The candidate has sponsored and presented legislation to revise Medicaid rules to allow Medicaid recipients to directly receive reimbursement and to use personal funds to supplement caregiver payments, and supported Medicaid policy changes focused on flexibility and consumer-directed care rather than broad public expansions. His public legislative activity addresses Medicaid program design and reimbursement mechanisms.
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Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate opposes abortion and has stated that life begins at conception; he has supported legislative measures that would impose restrictions such as parental-notification requirements for minors.
Climate & Energy
Supports development of Nevada’s natural resources and affordable energy while balancing conservation concerns; has opposed major climate legislation and prioritized economic growth and mining alongside some support for renewable energy measures. Holds roles (former state senator, chair of Commerce, Labor and Energy, and director of Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) that reflect a preference for market-driven and resource-development approaches to energy and conservation.
Public Safety & Guns
Opposes expanded gun-control measures such as universal background checks and has criticized recently proposed background-check legislation in Nevada; has sponsored bills and taken positions favorable to gun owners’ rights (including easing rules for permit holders). Supports limiting red-flag/confiscation-style measures and frames such laws as overreach.
Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 20262026
LatestCycle 2026
Source: FEC
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We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
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