Somewhere in Nevada, a political consultant decided the best way to win a congressional race was to tell half the voters to mind their own business.
If you want to lose women voters in a swing state two weeks before a primary, I have found your blueprint. It arrived as a text message.
“This text is only intended for Nevada men,” it read.
“Only open if you're a man.”
The text blast was paid for by Turning Point PAC, promoting Lt. Col. David Flippo for Nevada's 2nd Congressional District.
The accompanying graphic said:
“Conservative Men, Nevada Needs You.”
The message said Nevada had been led by weak, liberal men for too long, and it was time to step up.
Doubling Down
“I bust my ass every day… no matter what I do, it feels like I can never catch a break. More and more men I talk to feel the exact same way.”
Are those the words of a Redditor complaining into the void amid an impending divorce? No. Those are the words of Turning Point PAC's follow-up text on Tuesday, leading with pure male grievance.
This time angrier, rawer, and somehow even more condescending to the men it was supposedly written for. All while now ignoring the women that served under Lt. Col David Flippo.
Now that Memorial Day is over, let's pretend Lt Col David Flippo only led men in the military.
This campaign text feels like a Reddit post someone makes before they get divorced.
“Miserable men, mount up!” https://t.co/5P3atWGUWX pic.twitter.com/Yk1MGQWvVv
— BrutalBrittany💕 (@BrutalBrittany2) May 26, 2026
The Irony Is Doing Heavy Lifting Here
Turning Point USA was built by Charlie Kirk to do one thing — grow the conservative movement. Not shrink it; grow it.
The organization spent years working to pull young people, new voters, and everyday Americans into the Republican tent. That was the whole point.
Erika Kirk now leads that organization, having been named CEO after her husband was assassinated last year. She is a woman running one of the most prominent conservative organizations in America. She took over under the most painful circumstances imaginable and pledged to make the movement bigger than ever.
And now, two weeks before a crowded Republican primary, the org's affiliated PAC tells Northern Nevada women to look away?
Wait — Isn't This the Left's Weapon?
Conservatives have spent years calling out the left for dividing people by identity.
Gender grievance politics does not become acceptable just because the grievance is pointed in a different direction. Stoking male insecurity to drive turnout is the same psychological playbook the left runs on every identity group they want to keep angry and mobilized.
The packaging is different, but the cynicism is identical.
Conservatives win when we make the argument about ideas: Lower taxes, smaller government, and personal freedom.
Those ideas do not need a velvet rope at the door. They work for everyone.
The moment we start sorting voters by identity instead of persuading them with principle, we have already lost the argument — and handed the left a gift they did not earn.
Meanwhile, Who Is Waiting in November?
Who is the recipient of that unearned gift? The winner of the June 9 primary is going to face Teresa Benitez-Thompson in the general election.
She is a Reno native, a former Assembly Majority Leader, and she has been building relationships in this district for years. As I have written before, she has a real path to win this seat.
The signals in Washoe County are not comfortable for Republicans, and a district that has never sent a Democrat to Congress is closer to flipping than it has ever been.
Turning Point PAC ran a campaign that told women they are not needed — in a race where the Republican nominee will spend the entire general election trying to win over women voters against a female Democrat with deep community roots.
Teresa Benitez-Thompson did not need help. She already had a path. Turning Point PAC just widened it.
What Others Are Saying
Retired Eureka County Sheriff Jesse Watts, also a candidate in the NV-02 race, told NN&V that the messages are alienating women voters.
Watts said:
“Yesterday, two ladies approached me because they recognized me. They asked if I would ever send such a chauvinistic text message to constituents, potential voters, or anyone.
When I said no, they continued asking questions until they both walked away pledging to vote for me.”
Looking Ahead
While some consultants may call this a targeting strategy, others see it as an unforced error.
They think if they challenge voters' manhood through a “for-your-man-eyes-only” text, they will be motivated to check a box and feel whole again?
Conservative men show up because they believe in something — not because a PAC consultant poked their ego with a stick.
It was insulting to women. It was insulting to men. And come November, it may prove insulting to the entire Republican effort in NV-02.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
