Current:Home > InvestNevada Republicans prepare to choose a candidate to face Jacky Rosen in critical Senate race -Excel Wealth Summit
Nevada Republicans prepare to choose a candidate to face Jacky Rosen in critical Senate race
View
Date:2025-04-12 14:31:09
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Retired Army Capt. Sam Brown hopes a late endorsement from former President Donald Trump will help carry him to victory in the state’s GOP Senate primary on Tuesday and give him the momentum he needs to win a general election race that Republicans see as one of their best chances to pick up a seat in the closely divided chamber.
The winner of Tuesday’s GOP Senate primary will square off with incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen in a fierce swing-state Senate race.
Rosen, a first-term moderate defending her seat in a state that also could figure heavily in the presidential race, is one of Republicans’ top targets in 2024. Democrats are defending far more Senate seats than Republicans this year, including open swing-state seats in Michigan and Arizona and seats held by incumbent Democrats in the competitive states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as well as Nevada.
Republicans also hope to win seats currently held by Democrats in reliably red Montana, Ohio and West Virginia.
Brown, a Purple Heart recipient who was wounded while serving in Afghanistan, has long been considered the GOP front-runner in a crowded primary field since he announced he was running last summer, less than a year after he lost his bid to challenge Nevada’s other Democratic senator in the western battleground state.
He was heavily recruited by Republicans in Washington, D.C. and received the endorsement of the National Republican Senatorial Committee as soon as he announced his bid.
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since 2020. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
- Read the latest: Follow AP’s complete coverage of this year’s election.
National Republicans have been deliberate in their attempt to avoid a repeat of their lackluster showing in the 2022 midterms, when Democrats exceeded expectations and held on to their tenuous Senate majority.
Before he can take on Rosen, who faces token Democratic primary opposition from two challengers, Brown must hold off a crowded field of primary opponents who have taken him to task for skipping debates and cast him as the hand-picked establishment candidate. The criticisms echo campaign themes offered up by Brown two years ago when he was seen as the insurgent candidate against former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt. Laxalt won the GOP primary but lost to Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.
This year’s field of a dozen GOP candidates includes Trump’s former ambassador to Iceland, dermatologist Jeff Gunter, who has portrayed himself as “110% pro-Trump” and has hammered away at Brown as the establishment pick.
Also in the race is Jim Marchant, who ran for secretary of state in 2022 on a platform of election denialism spurred by Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential race was stolen. Marchant raised his national profile in 2022 as the organizer of a coalition of 17 GOP candidates who falsely challenged the election result. All of Nevada’s elected officials since 2006, he has said, have been “installed by the deep state cabal.”
Brown, who was nearly killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan that scarred his face, made military service central to his message this campaign cycle, just as he did during his unsuccessful 2022 Senate campaign.
At campaign stops, he has often recounted the explosion and the dozens of surgeries that followed, touting the leadership skills he learned in the Army and the Christian faith that sustained him through his recovery.
Trump’s endorsement on Sunday further boosted a candidate who already enjoyed a substantial fundraising lead over his opponents. Trump repeatedly said he liked many of the candidates in the race and had teased the endorsement for weeks before he officially announced his support for Brown.
veryGood! (736)
Related
- Average rate on 30
- Kansas has a new anti-DEI law, but the governor has vetoed bills on abortion and even police dogs
- Who will win the Stanley Cup? Predictions for NHL playoffs bracket
- Who will advance in NHL playoffs? Picks and predictions for every NHL first round series
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- 'The Jinx' Part 2: Release date, time, where to watch new episodes of Robert Durst docuseries
- Councilwoman chosen as new Fort Wayne mayor, its 1st Black leader, in caucus to replace late mayor
- USC cancels graduation keynote by filmmaker amid controversy over decision to drop student’s speech
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Colorado organizers fail to gather enough signatures to put anti-abortion measure on the ballot
Ranking
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Conditions improve for students shot in Maryland park on ‘senior skip day’
- Morgan Wallen ‘not proud of my behavior’ after allegedly throwing a chair off Nashville rooftop
- Who will win the Stanley Cup? Predictions for NHL playoffs bracket
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- U.N. official says Israel systematically impeding Gaza aid distribution
- Watch this sweet moment between Pluto and his biggest fan: a golden retriever service dog
- Culver's burger chain planning to open as many as 51 new locations in 2024: Here's where
Recommendation
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
Milwaukee teenager gets 13 years for shooting inside restaurant that killed 2 other teens
Dave McCarty, World Series winner with 2004 Boston Red Sox, dies at 54
Melania Trump, long absent from campaign, will appear at a Log Cabin Republicans event in Mar-a-Lago
Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
Oil Drilling Has Endured in the Everglades for Decades. Now, the Miccosukee Tribe Has a Plan to Stop It
Cold case playing cards in Mississippi jails aim to solve murders, disappearances
Nacho fries return to Taco Bell for longest run yet with new Secret Aardvark sauce