RENO, Nevada – RENO, Nev. (AP) – Former President Donald Trump endorsed Retired Army Captain Sam Brown in the U.S. Senate race in Nevada on Sunday, choosing a candidate widely seen as the front-runner in a crowded field of candidates who have strived to align themselves with the former president.
Trump’s endorsement came on Truth Social after he spent the day in Las Vegas holding a rally, where several Republican Party Senate candidates were present. He said Brown was a “FEARLESS AMERICAN PATRIOT” and highlighted his Purple Heart status. He also said Brown will “fight tirelessly” for several of his priorities, including border security and growing the economy.
Trump chose Brown over several other candidates with close ties to the former president. One rival, Jeff Gunter, Trump’s former ambassador to Iceland, campaigned under the slogan that he is “110% pro-Trump” and described Brown as the establishment’s choice because he was endorsed by US Senator Mitch McConnell.
Jim Marchant, another candidate, ran as the Republican candidate for Nevada Secretary of State in 2022 on a platform of election denial spurred by Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud. In 2022, he introduced Trump on stage when the former president visited Nevada to rally supporters for close midterm elections.
Republicans see the Nevada race as a crucial opportunity that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Democrats have a 51-49 majority but face a challenging the 2024 Senate mapwhere they must defend incumbents not only in red states – Montana, Ohio and West Virginia – but also in several swing states, including Nevada.
The endorsement puts Brown even further above his opponents in terms of national support. His opponents had long criticized Brown for skipping primary debates, an attitude that Trump also made when he came well ahead of his opponents in the presidential primaries.
Brown, a Purple Heart recipient, was a candidate heavily recruited by Republicans in Washington, seeking to avoid a repeat of his lackluster performance in the 2022 midterm elections, when flawed Republican candidates helped Democrats win battleground races and to maintain the majority in the Senate.
