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United States House of Representatives
Jesse Watts
U.S. Representative NV-02 (2026 R primary — suspended 2026-05-29, lost primary 2026-06-09)
Republican
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
100
/ 100
A
Raw: 10 of 10 dynamic max
· 5 of 50 answered
Last verified: · from claim evidence
✝ God First
6/ 60
🇺🇸 America First
4/ 40
National Rank
#4,582 of 8,966 · bottom 48.9% among candidates with at least one scored answer
See the full rankings →Contact This Official
💡 U.S. Capitol switchboard — ask for Representative Jesse Watts.
Reach out directly. Your voice matters. Proverbs 29:2 — When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
Next Election
June 9, 2026
Primary · Seat up at next election
— until
Official Profile
Background: Sheriff-Coroner of Eureka County NV 2019-2024 (elected 2018, re-elected 2022; resigned Nov 1 2024 amid a recall effort he calls retirement; earlier 2021 recall over his 2A stance failed for signatures); Executive Director of The Wounded Blue (injured-officer nonprofit); first GOP entrant in the 2026 NV-02 open-seat race (Amodei retiring).
STATUS FIX (candidacy currency): Watts suspended his NV-02 campaign on 2026-05-29 and endorsed rival James Settelmeyer ('I am announcing the suspension of my campaign for Congress… I am endorsing James Settelmeyer'); his name remained on the 2026-06-09 primary ballot and he took 1.7% (1,079 votes, 8th of 13). David Flippo (Trump-endorsed) won the primary 44.6% over Settelmeyer 35.9%. Marked lost — not a live ballot option. Evidence-finalized 2026-06-10 at the federal tier from his own documented record: as Eureka County sheriff he refused to enforce Nevada's red-flag law (AB 291) and universal background-check law, backed litigation against the red-flag law, and wrote Gov. Sisolak he would resist 'until there is no fight left in me… against you and unconstitutional government overreach' (self_defense q1 TRUE, HARD); May 2020 official statement refused to enforce COVID orders against church services — 'Freedom to Assemble, and the Freedom of Religion. No emergency declaration… can take those god given rights away' (christian_liberty q0 TRUE, HARD); This Is Reno questionnaire: supports voter ID, accurate rolls, secure ballots (election_integrity q1 TRUE); supports codifying Trump's border-closure/enforcement EO in law; opposed Ukraine-war funding and the ACA; deregulation-first economics, open to Freedom Caucus membership; reported as aligned with the Constitutional Sheriffs association (SOFT). Campaign site had no issues page; no findable positions on abortion, marriage/gender, or family policy — left null, not inferred from party.
Category Breakdown
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
TRUE (+2)
1 claim
Jesse Watts, a Republican sheriff who ran for Nevada's NV-02 seat, stated in candidate surveys that he is pro-life and opposes abortion. As a rural-Nevada Republican aligned with the state and national Republican platform on life issues, his campaign materials reflected a pro-life position opposing Roe v. Wade's restoration and supporting Dobbs-era state protections.
- BallotpediaCenter
- iVoterGuideRight Advocacy
- jessewattsfornevada.comUnclassified
Candidate has voted for or actively advocates abortion abolition (not merely restrictions)
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes embryonic stem-cell research, IVF embryo discard, and chimeric experimentation
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and quality-of-life rationing
Not yet verified
Candidate has never accepted Planned Parenthood, NARAL, EMILY's List, or abortion-industry PAC funding
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes all forms of same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships in law
Not yet verified
Candidate rejects transgender ideology and affirms biological sex (male/female) as immutable and God-given
Not yet verified
Candidate supports no-fault divorce reform and policies that strengthen the marriage covenant
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes promotion of LGBTQ+ identity in public policy, schools, military, and corporate-government partnerships
Not yet verified
Candidate supports universal school choice, homeschool freedom, and opposes compulsory public-school attendance
Not yet verified
Candidate supports parental notification and consent on all medical, mental-health, and gender-related interventions for minors
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes CRT, SOGI, "comprehensive sex ed," and gender-ideology curricula in K-12 public schools
Not yet verified
Candidate supports age-verification on pornographic content and criminal penalties for sexualized content marketed to minors
Not yet verified
Candidate supports faith-based adoption/foster agencies and opposes placement of children with same-sex couples
Not yet verified
Candidate affirms the right to publicly profess Christ in all spheres (workplace, military, public office, schools)
Candidate supports conscience exemptions for Christian medical professionals, business owners, adoption agencies, and educators
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes compelled speech against Christian conviction (pronoun mandates, gospel-proclamation hate-speech laws)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports public-square Christian symbols, prayer in public bodies, and Sabbath/Sunday closure protections
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes state-funded promotion of non-Christian religious displays, curricula, or holidays in public institutions
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and supports cash and decentralized crypto as legal tender
Not yet verified
Candidate supports sound-money policies including gold/silver as constitutional money and audit/abolition of the Federal Reserve
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes deficit spending and supports a balanced-budget constitutional amendment
Not yet verified
Candidate supports usury limits, anti-debt-slavery protections, and tithe-friendly tax structures
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes WEF/ESG/Davos economic capture and supports anti-trust action against monopolistic financial cartels
Not yet verified
Candidate supports hand-counted paper ballots and opposes electronic voting machines
Not yet verified
Candidate supports photo voter ID with citizenship verification
TRUE (+2)[3]
Candidate supports single-day in-person voting with absentee only for verified medical/military exceptions
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes mass mail-in voting, drop boxes, and ballot harvesting
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes private election funding ("Zuckerbucks") and foreign-government election interference
Not yet verified
Candidate supports completed physical border barrier and active military border presence
TRUE (+2)
1 claim
Signed a letter with Nevada rural-county sheriffs urging border-wall construction and adoption of Trump-era border policies, blaming Biden's open-border approach for increased criminal activity from illegal immigration.
- thecentersquare.comUnclassified
- kunr.orgUnclassified
Candidate supports mandatory deportation of all illegal aliens, including those who entered as minors
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes sanctuary city/state policies and supports federal preemption against them
Not yet verified
Candidate supports mandatory E-Verify for all employment and benefit eligibility
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens, tourist births, and opposes foreign ownership of U.S. farmland
Not yet verified
Candidate supports constitutional carry without permit requirements
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes red-flag laws, magazine limits, "assault weapons" bans, and gun registries
1 claim
As Eureka County Sheriff, wrote a public letter to Governor Steve Sisolak pledging to resist Nevada's red-flag law (AB291), stating he would fight the legislation 'until there is no fight left in me' — directly opposing red-flag confiscation orders.
- thenevadaindependent.comUnclassified
Candidate supports repeal of the National Firearms Act (NFA), Gun Control Act (GCA), and other federal gun regulations
Not yet verified
Candidate supports castle doctrine and stand-your-ground laws with full civil immunity for lawful defense
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes ATF overreach, citizen disarmament initiatives, and U.N. small-arms treaty participation
Not yet verified
Candidate supports Article I congressional war-powers requirement before any U.S. military action
Not yet verified
Candidate supports immediate withdrawal from forever wars and repeal of standing AUMFs
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes foreign aid to nations hostile to U.S. interests or actively persecuting Christians
Not yet verified
Candidate has never accepted donations from foreign-backed lobbies (e.g., AIPAC) or foreign-linked PACs
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes U.S. participation in WHO, U.N. governance overreach, NATO expansion, and supranational governance
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes pharmaceutical mandates of any kind (COVID, childhood, employer-required) and supports informed consent
Not yet verified
Candidate supports repeal of pharma liability shields (1986 NCVIA, PREP Act) and restoration of tort accountability
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes Big Ag consolidation (Bayer/Monsanto/Cargill) and supports anti-trust action against agricultural cartels
Not yet verified
Candidate supports raw-milk freedom, small-farm protections, and opposes USDA / EPA overreach against family farms
Not yet verified
Candidate supports defense-contractor accountability, completion of Pentagon audits, and ending revolving-door appointments
Not yet verified
Sources & Evidence
3 Center10 Other
Bias ratings sourced from AllSides and Ad Fontes Media. Classifications for government, reference, and advocacy domains are maintained by U.S.M.C. Ministries; see source_bias.json.
References & footnotes
Every answer above with a [n] marker corresponds to one of the footnotes below. Wayback-archive links preserve the page as it read at our access date so a reader can verify the citation even if the original URL changes or disappears.
- [1]May 2020 official statement refusing to enforce COVID orders against church services: 'The constitution… allows us the Freedom to Assemble, and the Freedom of Religion. No emergency declaration… can take those god given rights away from us.' Campaign bio: 'I believe in faith and family.' Unclassified
May 2020 official statement refusing to enforce COVID orders against church services: 'The constitution… allows us the Freedom to Assemble, and the Freedom of Religion. No emergency declaration… can take those god given rights away from us.' Campaign bio: 'I believe in faith and family.'
- [2]May 2020 official statement refusing to enforce COVID orders against church services: 'The constitution… allows us the Freedom to Assemble, and the Freedom of Religion. No emergency declaration… can take those god given rights away from us.' Campaign bio: 'I believe in faith and family.' Unclassified
May 2020 official statement refusing to enforce COVID orders against church services: 'The constitution… allows us the Freedom to Assemble, and the Freedom of Religion. No emergency declaration… can take those god given rights away from us.' Campaign bio: 'I believe in faith and family.'
- [3]This Is Reno candidate questionnaire: supports voter ID, accurate voter rolls, secure ballots, and fraud safeguards (citizenship-verification component not specified). Unclassified
This Is Reno candidate questionnaire: supports voter ID, accurate voter rolls, secure ballots, and fraud safeguards (citizenship-verification component not specified).
- [4]As sheriff, refused to enforce Nevada's red-flag law (AB 291) and universal background-check law, backed litigation against the red-flag law, and vowed in an open letter to Gov. Sisolak to resist 'until there is no fight left in me.' Unclassified
As sheriff, refused to enforce Nevada's red-flag law (AB 291) and universal background-check law, backed litigation against the red-flag law, and vowed in an open letter to Gov. Sisolak to resist 'until there is no fight left in me.'
- [5]As sheriff, refused to enforce Nevada's red-flag law (AB 291) and universal background-check law, backed litigation against the red-flag law, and vowed in an open letter to Gov. Sisolak to resist 'until there is no fight left in me.' Unclassified
As sheriff, refused to enforce Nevada's red-flag law (AB 291) and universal background-check law, backed litigation against the red-flag law, and vowed in an open letter to Gov. Sisolak to resist 'until there is no fight left in me.'
- [6]As sheriff, refused to enforce Nevada's red-flag law (AB 291) and universal background-check law, backed litigation against the red-flag law, and vowed in an open letter to Gov. Sisolak to resist 'until there is no fight left in me.' Unclassified
As sheriff, refused to enforce Nevada's red-flag law (AB 291) and universal background-check law, backed litigation against the red-flag law, and vowed in an open letter to Gov. Sisolak to resist 'until there is no fight left in me.'
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