President Donald Trump on Sunday announced his endorsement of Army veteran Sam Brown, who is leading a fierce Republican primary race for U.S. Senate in Nevada.
“Sam Brown is a fearless American patriot,” Trump said in a post on his social media site Truth Social, adding that Brown would “work tirelessly” to secure our border and improve our economy.
Though the endorsement was late – the primary election was on Tuesday and early voting had already ended – it solidified Brown's position as the front-runner and favorite to advance to November's general election against incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen. Brown has raised more money than his primary rivals, has the endorsement of the state's Republican governor, Joe Lombard, and is leading by double digits in recent race polls, most of which were commissioned by Brown's own campaign.
The only question that remained was what Trump would say. Brown has campaigned as a strong supporter of the former president, but her delay in publicly endorsing Trump's reelection bid has given her primary rivals on the right an opportunity to cash in. Jeff Gunter, a wealthy dermatologist and Trump's ambassador to Iceland, has positioned himself as the MAGA candidate, running TV ads attacking Brown and hoping to win Trump's support.
Trump has shared images on Truth Social touting Brown's lead in Nevada polls, and in an interview with a local television station in late May, he praised both Brown and Jim Merchant, a former state legislator and known election denier who is also running for Nevada Senate.
Brown said he was “honored” to receive Trump's endorsement in a post on the social platform X. “If we're both victorious in November, I look forward to working together to create a better future for Nevadans and all Americans,” Brown said.
Rosen's campaign criticized Trump's endorsement on Sunday.
“Nevadans want a senator who will serve our state across party lines, not a MAGA extremist like Sam Brown who constantly puts partisan politics and pleasing President Trump above doing what's right,” said Joanna Warsaw, a spokeswoman for Rosen's campaign.
“Mitch McConnell's money wins and the American people lose,” Gunter said in a statement, referring to his repeated attacks on Brown as a handful of the Washington establishment. “You're repeating the same thing,” Gunter added.
Brown, a former Army captain, nearly lost his life in Afghanistan in 2008 when his car ran over a Taliban-planted explosive device. He was rushed to a burn unit in the United States with severe burns and underwent more than 30 surgeries during his three-year recovery. His injuries left him permanently scarred.
He ran unsuccessfully for the Texas House of Representatives in 2014, after which he and his wife moved to Reno, Nevada in 2018. In 2022, he lost the Republican Senate primary to the state's former Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who lost in the general election to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, whose victory ensured Democrats maintained control of the Senate.
Assuming Brown advances to the general election, he could be emboldened by Trump's strong support in Nevada, a state that hasn't voted Republican for president since 2004 and is poised to be one of President Joe Biden's most swing states in November's election.
Nevada's economy relies heavily on tourism and has recovered slower from the coronavirus pandemic than other states, and Rosen has sought to distance himself from Biden as he seeks to keep his Senate seat.
