Former Army Capt. Sam Brown comfortably won the GOP nomination to run against Democratic Sen.
Jacky Rosen in Nevada on Tuesday, giving national Republicans another triumph in their efforts to set up their desired matches in battleground states this year.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee supported Brown from the start, and he was largely anticipated to win.
However, Jeffrey Gunter, a doctor and former ambassador to Iceland under former President Donald Trump, self-funded a campaign that became a source of contention for the national GOP in one of seven contests that may determine Senate control.
Brown, an Army veteran, was almost killed in Afghanistan in 2008 when an improvised explosive device attacked his unit; he escaped with severe burns on 30% of his body and obvious scars, and he was given the Purple Heart. He then started a firm that provided drugs to veterans.
Brown previously campaigned for Senate in Nevada in 2022 but lost the GOP primary to former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who then lost to Democratic Sen.
Catherine Cortez Masto in one of the country’s tightest contests that year. This time, Brown received early national support to supplement his own strong fundraising efforts.
And he received a last-minute endorsement from Trump on Truth Social just after Trump addressed fans in Las Vegas on Sunday, which infuriated him.
The NRSC’s backing for Brown was an example of Chair Steve Daines’ attempts to influence primaries in potentially difficult states, in reaction to worries that the party lost winnable seats in 2022, owing in part to the fielding of candidates largely seen as weak.
In addition to Brown, the party committee supported Tim Sheehy in Montana, with Daines asking Trump to do the same and successfully blocking Rep.
Matt Rosendale, who briefly sought for the seat. Daines also delivered early announcements of support for Senate candidates such as Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, who had no opposition, and former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan, who received a Trump endorsement as well.
In Nevada, Brown will face Rosen, a first-term senator from the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, who will be a formidable opponent. Her campaign claimed more than $10 million in funds on hand as of late May, compared to Brown’s $2.5 million.
Democrats have been preparing to take on Brown for months, and Rosen’s team ran an ad last month criticizing him on abortion rights.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee aired another ad Tuesday night, describing Brown as a “MAGA extremist” and emphasizing statements he made in 2022 indicating support for reviving Yucca Mountain to store nuclear waste.