RENO, Nev. (AP) — Republican candidate Sam Brown defeated a strong field to win Nevada’s GOP Senate primary on Tuesday, setting up a tough general election race against incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen that could determine which party controls the Senate.
Speaking to supporters at a viewing party in Reno, Brown thanked his wife, Amy, their three young children and his parents. He said America was at a “crossroads” and that his children would inherit “no voice, no vote.”
“Your father is going to do everything in his power to make sure you have the American dream that so many of us have had the opportunity to enjoy,” he said.
Brown, a retired Army captain seeking his second Senate seat in two years, was fielding a field of 12 Republicans to challenge Rosen, a first-term moderate in a presidential battleground state and one of the GOP’s top targets in 2024. Democrats Protecting far more Senate seats They have a higher turnout this year than Republicans, who are seeking to maintain their slim Senate majority.
Brown held a decisive fundraising lead throughout the campaign and on Sunday won a belated endorsement from former President Donald Trump. His campaign is anchored in his compelling personal story of nearly being killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan and spending months recovering.
Trump’s endorsement was a blow to several opponents who had sought to align with the former president, including his ambassador to Iceland, dermatologist Jeff Gunter.
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When Brown announced her candidacy about a year ago in the Reno suburb of Sparks, she spoke of her military background and devotion to family, positioning herself as an outsider taking on “Rosen and her friends in Washington.”
Rosen, who won his own landslide primary victory over a nominal opponent, criticized Brown in a statement Tuesday night as a “MAGA extremist who will say anything to get elected” and warned about Brown’s “far-right policies,” which he said include banning abortion.
“I will stand up to anyone to get things done for our state,” Rosen said, “but Brown will always put partisan politics and corporate special interests above what’s right for Nevada.”
Abortion is expected to be a central issue in the general election campaign, and Rosen repeatedly cited Brown’s support for Texas’ 20-week abortion ban when he ran for Texas Congress in 2014.
Earlier this year, Brown and his wife, Amy, spoke to NBC News. Had an abortion In a meeting with Brown in Texas earlier this month, Brown backtracked on some of his earlier, explicit anti-abortion statements, saying he opposed a federal ban on abortion and believed the issue should be left to individual states.
Some of Brown’s Republican allies have tried to turn the tide by criticizing him for skipping the debate and calling him the “establishment candidate of choice.” These criticisms echo Brown’s own message two years ago when he faced off against Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt in the Republican primary. Laxalt defeated Brown in the primary but then lost to Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto by 8,000 votes, giving Democrats control of the Senate.
Brown was hired by the Republican National Committee, which has been treading carefully to avoid a repeat of the lackluster 2022 midterm elections, in which Democrats outperformed expectations and maintained a precarious majority in the Senate.
In his victory speech, Brown sought to link Rosen to President Joe Biden’s policies, a central theme of his 11-month campaign.
“Tonight, let’s celebrate the victory and discuss what happened tonight. Tomorrow begins the next phase of accountability — accountability for Joe Biden and Jacky Rosen.”
He pledged leadership on border security, energy security, tax cuts and justice reform.
Brown, who was nearly killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan and left with facial scars, has made military service a central part of his message in this campaign, just as he did in his unsuccessful 2022 Senate run.
On the campaign trail, he has frequently spoken about the explosion and the dozens of surgeries that followed, touting the leadership skills he learned in the Army and the Christian faith that helped him recover.
Trump’s endorsement Sunday, after about 100,000 Republicans cast ballots during two weeks of early voting, gave Brown a boost as he led his opponents in fundraising by a wide margin. Trump has repeatedly said he likes many of the candidates in the race and had hinted at his support for Brown in the weeks before he chose her.
Nevada voters braved sweltering heat of nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in Reno and Las Vegas to cast their ballots in school gyms and other polling places, where election workers set up fans to help voters stay cool.
Liz and Barry Barnes, 73 and 80, respectively, voted Tuesday at Reno High School for Rosen and other Democrats.
Longtime Democrats said they viewed Rosen’s opposition favorably. United States Postal Service plans to relocate major operations They addressed other issues, including withdrawing from Reno, but they also had their eye on November’s presidential election, where Nevada could play a decisive role in deciding whether to choose Biden or Trump.
“We’re scared he’ll win,” Liz said of Trump. “We don’t want the country to go backwards.”
Entering the Reno High School gym was Dan Goldowski, 79, a retired pharmacist and Navy veteran who said he normally votes Republican or Libertarian but chose to vote for Brown this time.
He was pleased that Trump endorsed Brown, but said, “Everything I’ve read about (Brown’s opponents) has been negative.”
He plans to vote for Trump in November.
“His personal life is none of my business,” he said. “Everyone makes mistakes, and he probably made mistakes.”
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Associated Press writers Scott Sonar in Reno and Rio Yamato in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
