Archive • Date 2026-10-29 • Filed 2026-10-29T13:15:33Z • Case SH-20261029-002 • Severity 3/5

Party Line Shortened to Independent

Based on: Why Nevada Republican Mark Amodei Refuses to Vote for His GOP Replacement • Mother Jones Politics • 2026-10-27T20:20:25Z

An inspector opened the Oct. 27 package and found the lemon cleaner still wet on a kitchen table. Retiring Rep. Mark Amodei, Republican on his own account since he was 18, did not vote for Trump-backed David Flippo. He voted for Lynn Chapman. Mother Jones calls her an independent candidate. His office told local reporters she is the Independent American Party candidate. Six days earlier, Axios reported a DCCC redbox telling allies that Republican women should hear Chapman has spent decades fighting for conservative values. Politico had already logged the refusal, and the baseline: Trump carried the seat by 14 points. The piece still warns the district could change next week, and still quotes its own note that the seat sits on Red to Blue. The party name, and the instruction that makes the conscience vote useful, do not appear. For citation ten, the shortening looks practiced. Verdict: a spoiler ballot filed as a vow of independence. Note: American and Party were last observed leaving through the adjective slot, which is not an exit.

Findings

• The Oct. 27 copy says Amodei voted for Lynn Chapman, "an independent candidate."
• 2 News, citing Amodei's office, reported the vote was for the Independent American Party candidate, Lynn Chapman.
• Axios reported Oct. 21 that a DCCC redbox said Chapman "has spent decades fighting for conservative values."
• Politico reported Oct. 17 that President Donald Trump won the seat by 14 points.
• The item warns representation "could change next week" and notes a DCCC Red to Blue listing.

Records requested

• The designation Independent American Party at the first reference to Lynn Chapman.
• The Oct. 21 DCCC redbox text directing allies to promote Chapman to Republican women.
• A date line showing the refusal was already on the record with Politico on Oct. 17.
• Chapman's previous vote share in Nevada's 2nd District, so the spoiler size is visible.

Receipts

Every claim below was re-verified against the linked page before filing.

• Mother Jones described Chapman as an independent candidate. ("he voted for Lynn Chapman, an independent candidate.")
• Amodei's office identified the vote as one for the Independent American Party candidate. ("he did vote for the Independent American Party candidate, Lynn Chapman.")
• A DCCC redbox told allies to promote Chapman to Republican women as a conservative. ("has spent decades fighting for conservative values")
• Politico reported Oct. 17 that Trump won the district by 14 points. ("President Donald Trump won by 14 points")

Hypocrisy: the copy that finds space for a DCCC Red to Blue listing cannot find the same committee's Oct. 21 instructions to advertise Chapman to Republican women as a conservative.

Recommended sentence

Reprint the kitchen-table package with Independent American Party set in the same type as independent, and pin the Oct. 21 line about decades fighting for conservative values under the still of the table, where it stays until the polls close on Nov. 3.