This year’s U.S. Senate race in Nevada is expected to be one of the country’s most competitive congressional contests this fall.
Retired Army Captain Sam Brown won GOP nomination for Nevada’s U.S. Senate race on Tuesday. That’s according to a race call by The Associated Press. He’ll now face incumbent Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen.
There was a heat advisory across much of the Southwest as voters in Nevada braved near-record temperatures to cast a ballot in the state’s Republican Primary.
James Moore of Reno was among them. He was eager to vote for candidates he felt aligned with his MAGA values, like Sam Brown.
“First of all he’s a vet. I like the way he presented himself and I prefer conservative candidates.”
In all, a dozen Republicans were vying for the chance to unseat incumbent Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen.
Brown, a Purple Heart recipient who was severely burned by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2008, has received endorsements from notable GOP groups and most recently, former President Donald Trump.
For Dan DeBlasio, a security professional from Reno, the choice seemed obvious.
“When Trump finally endorsed him … I was like, what took you so damn long?"
Trump’s endorsement over the weekend ended speculation over whether he would support Brown or another candidate in the GOP primary — his former ambassador to Iceland, Doctor Jeffery Gunter.
In recent weeks, Gunter criticized Brown for his ties to establishment Republicans releasing a barrage of attack ads on tv and online.
For voters like Nancy Tuinstra of Las Vegas, it was the wrong move. On Tuesday, she cast her ballot for Brown.
"He's a veteran. And I also didn't like the campaign that that the other opponent ran against him. I thought it was a little dirty and a little cheap.”
Speaking to supporters at a watch party celebrating his primary win, Brown says he’s prepared for the next phase of the election.
“Tonight begins the next stage of accountability, accountability on Joe Biden and Jacky Rosen.”
The Democratic senator released a statement late Tuesday calling Brown a “MAGA Extremist” criticizing what she called his “far-right agenda of banning abortion.
Brown describes himself as an abortion rights opponent. However, earlier this year he said he would not support a federal abortion ban.
Rosen is campaigning as a moderate. Voters like Maja Buell see that as a plus.
“I think Jacky Rosen has done a really good job and is really dedicated to our state and tries to work across party lines.”
And in a year where many voters are feeling apathetic about their choices at the top of the ticket, a competitive Senate race could help drive voters to the polls in November — when the state could also play an important role in choosing the next president.
