Nevada's 2nd congressional district

Nevada's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district that includes the northern third of the state. It includes most of Lyon County, all of Churchill, Douglas, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Pershing, Storey and Washoe counties, as well as the state capital, Carson City. The largest city in the district is Reno, the state's third largest city. Although the district appears rural, its politics are dominated by Reno and Carson City, which combined cast over 85 percent of the district's vote.

The district was initially created after the 1980 Census. From then until 2013, it occupied all of the state outside of Clark County, and the far northern portion of Clark County. It was the third-largest congressional district by land area and was the largest district that did not consist of an entire state.

Historically, the 2nd has had a heavy Republican lean. Republicans have held the district since its creation, and Democrats have only made three serious bids for the seat. In presidential elections, the district has historically voted Republican; George W. Bush won the district by 20 points in 2000 and 16 points in 2004. However, in the 2008 election John McCain earned only 88 votes more (out of 335,720 votes) than Barack Obama in the district.