LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Cody Whipple, a candidate for the 4th Congressional District, said securing elections and continuing to build the border wall are his top issues.
He also named energy, the economy and education as priorities.
Whipple said he is running because “it’s time that we have that consolidated voice out in D.C.”
Whipple described himself as a fourth-generation Nevadan, a cattle rancher in the rural area and a small business owner in the urban area. He said he has a wireless communications network that covers southern Utah, southern Nevada, northern Arizona and California. He said the network serves mostly public safety, school districts and construction.
He said he has three daughters and coached all of them in softball. He said he played football at Virginia Tech under Coach Beamer in the 1990s after attending prep school in Connecticut.
Whipple said he took his family to visit Crescent Hardy when Hardy was a congressman in 2014. He said Hardy encouraged him to get involved, but he did not want to miss a moment with his daughters. He said he began running for Congressional District 4 after his youngest daughter graduated in 2024.
Infrastructure and communications
Whipple said the district is large and “everywhere you go is a different problem.” He said he has asked commissioners and community leaders to narrow the issues to the top three.
He said the region needs highways, including Interstate 11 and U.S. 93, along with passing lanes, rest stops, broadband and cellular service. He said he hopes to join the Energy and Commerce Committee to push infrastructure and communications projects.
Whipple said highways in the district are two-lane roads and head-on collisions happen “if not weekly, monthly.” He said crashes shut down traffic because there is no alternate route. He said he wants an alternate road to Interstate 15 because traffic is sent through U.S. 93 when I-15 has a crash.
He called for a master plan for the region. He cited growth in Kingman, St. George and Pahrump, and said the region needs to plan how that growth relates to Las Vegas.
Elections and border security
Whipple said “our vote is our voice” and that every legal vote should be counted. “It should be easy to vote, but impossible to cheat,” he said.
On the border, Whipple said “the border barrier is not enough” and that people are needed to secure it. He said cartels fly drones over the barrier and cut holes in it. He said the cartels push fentanyl, drugs and trafficking north.
Whipple said the “Big Beautiful Bill” provided $45 billion to continue building the border wall. He said he visited Nogales and saw crews building wall over mountains. He said officers on the ground are “the eyes and the ears.” He said drones are flying drugs and illegal computer chips from China across the border.
He said that when the wall is done, there will be a road along it from California to Texas.
Education, energy and the economy
Whipple said he supports school choice. He said he received a Division I scholarship through attending prep school. “A zip code should not be the determination of the quality education you receive,” he said. He said “one-size-fits-all hasn’t worked” and gave the example of a student in Tonopah who wants to learn about mining.
On energy, Whipple said he is shutting off wells on his ranch because fertilizer, fuel and the energy for center pivots cost more than a crop earns. He said water levels this year could prevent the dam from generating power.
He said he sees Nevada becoming independent in power and fuel. He said he wants a refinery between Ely and Wendover to refine crude oil from the upper Midwest, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming in Nevada.
Whipple said Apple spent $2 billion in Utah and is going to Phoenix and Salt Lake while bypassing North Las Vegas. He said Nevada needs to attract those businesses to create jobs.
Colorado River and water
Whipple said, “I am the candidate that actually owns water.” He said he owns water and land and understands basin hydrology.
He said Southern Nevada Water has missed its opportunity. He said federal elected officials, including Horsford, Susie Lee and Nevada’s senators, have missed the chance to act. “We are in an emergency,” he said.
Whipple proposed building water networks. He said farmers along the Colorado River could move inland to basins that have water. He said that would leave water in the lakes. He said the alfalfa could be bought from the Mojave tribe.
Whipple said he does not support a pipeline from the Mississippi or Missouri rivers, which he called “very difficult.” He said he would pursue arrangements with Wyoming to put more water into the Colorado River. He also said water should stop being released if levels fall below a certain level.
In his first 30 to 90 days, Whipple said he would work to get stakeholders to agree on a plan. He said he met congressmen from Idaho, Colorado, Utah and Arizona, along with Chairman Smith of Missouri, during the National Finals Rodeo. He said he would look at moving some agriculture off the river and into valleys in Arizona, Utah and Nevada right away.
Growth and housing
Whipple said a regional master plan is needed to address growth. He said Coyote Springs had the potential to be a town with 20,000 to 30,000 homes, but a golf course was built there instead.
He said Clark County commissioners “want to control everything” and want to build south toward California instead of north. He said he believes commissioners want to keep the tax base in Clark County.
Asked what he would do to help first-time homebuyers, Whipple proposed a tax-exempt account for a down payment. He compared it to IRAs, Roth IRAs and savings accounts for education. “Why not a tax-free account to put a down payment on a home?” he said.
Whipple said he wants corporations out of buying homes. He said he believes President Trump planned to sign something into law on the issue “if he hasn’t already done it.” He said it would make more supply available. He also said the interest rate “has got to come down.”
Closing statement
Asked why people should vote for him, Whipple said, “I’m the guy that knows Nevada.” He said he has lived in Nevada 52 years and knows its rural and urban areas.
He said his campaign has knocked on 10,000 doors to talk with seniors, veterans and young families. He said he signs “the front of checks daily” and has employees. He said he knows the district better than the current incumbent.
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