Trump is backing Sam Brown in the battle for the U.S. Senate, widening the momentum gap in Nevada’s crowded GOP field

RENO, Nev. (AP) – Former President Donald Trump endorsed retired Army Capt. Sam Brown in the U.S. Senate race in Nevada on Sunday, choosing a candidate widely seen as the front-runner over a crowded primary field of candidates looking to join himself with the former president.

Trump’s endorsement on Truth Social came after he spent a day in Las Vegas hosting a rally attended by several Republican Senate candidates. He said Brown was a “FEARLESS AMERICAN PATRIOT” and noted his Purple Heart status. He also said Brown will “fight tirelessly” for a number of his priorities, including border security and growing the economy.

The winner of Tuesday’s Republican primary will face Democratic U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, a first-term moderate who has become one of Republicans’ top targets in 2024.

Republicans view the Nevada race as a crucial opportunity that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Democrats hold a 51-49 majority but face a challenging 2024 Senate map. They must defend incumbents not only in red states — Montana, Ohio and West Virginia — but also in several swing states, including Nevada.

Trump chose Brown over several other candidates with close ties to the former president. One rival, Jeff Gunter, Trump’s former ambassador to Iceland, has campaigned on the slogan that he is “110% pro-Trump” and has described Brown as the establishment choice backed by US Senator Mitch McConnell.

Jim Marchant, another candidate, ran as the Republican nominee for Nevada Secretary of State in 2022 on a platform of election denial, fueled by Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud. In 2022, he introduced Trump to the stage when the former president visited Nevada to rally supporters for a close midterm election.

The endorsement further lifts Brown above his opponents in terms of national support. His opponents had long criticized Brown for skipping the primary debates, a move Trump also made when he performed well ahead of his opponents in the presidential primaries.

Brown was a heavily recruited candidate for Washington Republicans looking to avoid a repeat of their lackluster performance in the 2022 midterm elections, when flawed GOP candidates helped Democrats win races and retain the Senate majority.

Brown made his military service central to his message during this campaign cycle and in his failed 2022 Senate bid. He often told the story of the roadside bomb in Afghanistan that scarred his face and nearly killed him, as well as the leadership he learned when he was in the army.

After the endorsement, Rosen called Brown her “extreme MAGA opponent” on X, criticizing him on issues such as abortion, health care and Social Security.

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