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Saturday, Nov 14, 2026

Did 56,000 votes for a Nevada Republican congressional candidate disappear on election night?

Eric Neugeboren, The Nevada Independent
no

The Republican running for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District did not have votes disappear  on election night.

Right-wing commentators have claimed David Flippo saw his vote total decrease by more than 56,000 on election night. But his actual vote totals never went down.

Briefly on election night, The Associated Press showed a surge in votes for Flippo, only for that to decrease soon after. A spokesperson said this was a “vote-entry error” that “caused an incorrect vote total to briefly appear in AP‘s results for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District race.” The AP relies on reporters stationed at local election offices to report vote totals because elections are administered at the local, not state, level. 

The Nevada Secretary of State’s Office also said that “under no circumstances are votes removed from a candidate’s totals.”

Flippo ultimately lost to Teresa Benitez-Thompson (D) by more than 20,000 votes.

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The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.

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