Daniel Rodimer, a twice-failed candidate for Congress, was once known for his career as a professional wrestler.
Now, Rodimer is likely to be remembered for something much worse: a warrant for his arrest in a murder case.
Rodimer, 45, turned himself in Wednesday night at the Clark County jail in Las Vegas, KLAS reported.
The former wrestler was wanted for the suspected murder of Christopher Tapp of Idaho, LVMPD homicide Lt. Jason Johannson told KLAS.
Tapp died after an incident inside Resorts World on Oct. 29, 2023, according to records obtained by KLAS. The 47-year-old Tapp was initially suspected to have died of a fall or an overdose, but he was eventually ruled to have been murdered after blunt force trauma to his head, according to Clark County Coroner documents shared with KLAS.
That night in October, Tapp had reportedly offered cocaine to Rodimer’s stepdaughter at a party, promoting an outburst from Rodimer. He had met Rodimer through the racing circuit, Rodimer’s family attorney told KLAS.
Rodimer had run into trouble with the law even before this murder case. He was arrested for battery in 2010. During the previous decade, Rodimer had competed in wrestling competitions and signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.
The former wrestler began his political career in 2018 by joining his school district’s Safety Advisory Committee. That same year, he ran for Nevada State Senate, but his campaign died in the primaries.
In 2020, Rodimer ran for a congressional district containing the southern suburbs of Las Vegas. He lost to incumbent Democrat Susie Lee by only three points.
The next year, Rodimer changed his registration to run for a special election in Texas, and he finished much, much farther from the prize. In the primary, he nabbed only 2.6 percent of the vote, and he finished in 11th place.
During the Texas election, Rodimer faced wide ridicule for affecting a cowboy persona.
Former President Donald Trump rebuked Rodimer during the Texas election, even after endorsing him for the Nevada race a year prior.
In 2021, Rodimer was running digital ads calling himself “the Trump candidate.” Then, Trump spokesperson Jason Miller tweeted, “President Trump has NOT yet endorsed a candidate in TX-6. This is a very strong pro-Trump district and President Trump is the most powerful endorsement in all of politics, but he has not yet weighed in.”
The Horn editorial team