There are endorsements.
And then there are endorsements that actually matter.
This one?
Yeah – it matters. Bigly.
This Isn’t Just an Endorsement. It’s a Warning Shot.
When Assemblywoman Jill Dickman – the #1 ranked conservative in the entire Nevada Assembly – puts her name behind a candidate, that’s not political fluff. That’s a signal flare.
“The Assembly District 41 seat is too important to gamble on. Kelly Chapman already stepped into the arena last cycle – in a solid blue Democrat district – and she moved the numbers our way.
“This time, she’s running for a seat we can actually flip. I’m not rolling the dice on someone untested. I’m backing the candidate who is battle-tested. Kelly is in it to win it and I’m with her all the way.”
When she says “moved the numbers our way,” here’s what we’re talking about…
In that district in 2022, the Republican candidate got 9,042 votes.
In 2024 – even though she still came up short – Kelly got 16,275 votes.
‘Nuff said.
Assemblywoman Dickman didn’t earn that top spot by accident. She scored a whopping 95.16% conservative rating on Citizen Outreach’s 2025 legislative scorecard.
So when she says Kelly is the real deal, you don’t overthink it. You take it to the bank.
Because Republican primaries aren’t decided by casual voters flipping a coin. They’re decided by the folks who pay attention. The ones who know who fights…and who folds.
And that’s where the Assembly District 41 GOP primary race gets crystal clear. Kelly isn’t just another name on the ballot. She’s now carrying the backing of the most consistent conservative in the building.
And Then the Reinforcements Started Rolling In
In addition, Kelly’s also been endorsed by Assemblywoman Lisa Cole – Citizen Outreach’s “Rising Star” award recipient at its 2025 Conservative of the Year awards dinner.
“I’m proud to endorse Kelly Chapman for Assembly District 41. Kelly is thoughtful, hardworking, and deeply committed to serving her community with integrity. She is the right person at the right time to lead.”
And if that’s not enough, she was also endorsed by Gov. Joe Lombardo last week.
“Kelly Chapman is a strong advocate for victims of crime and has fought for programs to keep our communities safe. She’s a principled leader who will put Nevadans first and I’m proud to endorse her for State Assembly.”
But you know what? I’ve saved what might be the most important endorsement (so far) for last.
The Endorsement That Could Decide Everything
Rafael Arroyo ran for the AD41 seat in 2024 and came within just 257 votes – out of almost 36,000 votes cast – of ousting the sitting Democrat Assembly Majority Leader.
Rafael was planning to run for AD41 again this year. However, the governor’s team urged him to instead run for the State Senate seat that overlaps AD41 and try to flip THAT one to help the GOP regain the majority in the upper house.
Rafael agreed – and urged Kelly to move into AD41 this year. Here's his endorsement statement:
“Kelly Chapman and I got to know each other on the campaign trail in 2024, and I can tell you firsthand she’s the real deal. She’s tough, disciplined, and a proven conservative who stands her ground.
“Kelly has spent her entire life right here in southern Nevada, including decades in and around Assembly District 41. She knows this community because she’s lived it every day. She will hit the ground running in Carson City on Day One.
“Just as important, she gives Republicans our strongest opportunity to flip this seat in November. I’m proud to support Kelly Chapman, and I hope you’ll join me.”
I can’t stress how important this is. Two proven fighters. One strategic play.
Kelly and Rafael are battle-tested candidates who over-performed expectations in 2024. If they team up together in these overlapping districts, the odds of the GOP flipping BOTH seats increases ten-fold.
Now Let’s Talk About the Alternative…
Kelly’s primary opponent, Tofuola “Tofu” Alofipo, only moved to Nevada five years ago and has never run for office – or had any Republican political involvement whatsoever until two months ago.
To the best of my knowledge, she’s never attended a Republican Central Committee meeting or even a Lincoln Day Dinner.
But she was talked into jumping into this race by Nevada Republican Club president Pauline Lee because…they’re friends and both come from the Asian/Pacific Islander community?
Gimme a break.
Nice Person. Wrong Race. Wrong Time.
I sat next to Alofipo at a dinner shortly after she announced her candidacy in February (Kelly announced and has been running again since last June) at Lee’s monthly luncheon.
Seems like a nice enough lady. Very personable. Has potential. But clearly isn’t ready for prime time yet.
Some folks who have spoken with her since tell me she’s not well grounded on the issues. Not surprising considering her lack of in-the-trenches grassroots political experience.
Worse, she told a senior member of Lombardo’s campaign team that she wouldn’t run if the governor preferred somebody else. She was told the governor was backing Kelly but decided to run anyway.
I suspect Lee told her not to worry about it; that she’d get the governor to change his mind. That obviously didn’t happen.
The Go-Along-to-Get-Along Crowd
However, likely with Lee’s assistance, Alofipo has landed the endorsements of Assembly Republican Minority Leader Greg Hafen, as well as Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy and Assemblyman Brian Hibbets.
Here’s the thing about that…
Hafen is the second worst GOP caucus leader I’ve seen in 40 years – trailing only former Speaker John Hambrick who sold out in 2015 and helped engineer the largest tax hike in Nevada history.
The 2025 legislative session under Hafen’s “leadership” was an absolute disaster.
His caucus was splintered between the conservative members and moderate wing from Day One after he refused to put any conservatives on his “leadership” team.
Hafen desperately wants to hold onto power, but knows there’s a movement afoot to oust him and be replaced by Cole. And since Cole came out in support of Kelly, he decided to back Alofipo.
As for Hibbetts and Hardy, they’re from the moderate, wishy-washy, go-along-to-get-along, surrender-monkey wing of the caucus.
Hibbetts' conservative rating last year was just 80.65% (barely over Reagan’s 80 percent threshold) and Hardy’s was 75.81%.
Birds of a feather…
And Then There’s This
Alofipo’s also been endorsed by Las Vegas City Councilwoman Francis Allen-Palenske, who is a former RINO member of the Assembly despite coming from a strong GOP district.
In 2007, Liberty Watch Magazine reported that her colleagues “don’t trust her” and that “conservatives will have a well-financed and attractive candidate to remove her in the next election cycle.”
Then in May 2008, she was arrested after her then‑husband, Paul Maineri, told police she stabbed him in the forearm with a steak knife during an argument.
She got off after Maineri recanted and refused to press charges, saying he didn’t want to get her in trouble.
Nevertheless, she was defeated in the primary that year by Richard McArthur, who went on to chalk up one of the most consistent conservative voting records you’d ever want to see (Cole represents that district now).
Allen’s now running for re-election to the city council this year and sports a who’s-who list of major Democrat donors.
That these people are backing Alofipo pretty much tells you all you need to know about how she would vote in Carson City if elected. But there’s something even more important to consider…
There’s a Big Difference Between Safe Seats and Real Fights
Hafen, Hibbetts, and Hardy all represent solid Republican districts. They don’t even have to break a sweat to win their races. And I seriously doubt they could win an election in a swing district.
Kelly, Rafael, Dickman, Cole, and Lombardo have all had to run in tough swing or heavily Democrat districts.
Their races have been anything but cakewalks. And as Dickman noted in her endorsement, Alofipo is untested while Kelly is battle-tested.
If Alofipo wins the primary, odds are she’ll go down in flames in the general election, costing Republicans one of their best shots at flipping a seat in the Assembly.
And Republicans are like elephants – they have long memories.
If Alofipo blows this opportunity – especially after thumbing her nose at Gov. Lombardo – her future as a potential candidate in the GOP will be irreparably harmed.
And she’ll have Pauline Lee to thank for it.