Former President Donald J. Trump announced Sunday that he is endorsing 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.
While the endorsement is late – the primary election is on June 11 and early voting has already ended – it solidifies Brown's position as the front-runner and favorite to advance to the November general election against incumbent Democratic Senator 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 his delay in formally endorsing Trump's reelection bid left his primary rivals seeking rebuffs from the right. Jeff Gunter, a wealthy dermatologist and Trump's ambassador to Iceland, has positioned himself as a 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 a local television interview in late May, he praised both Brown and Jim Merchant, a former state legislator and known election denier who is also running for Senate.
Brown said in a post on X that he was “honored” to receive Trump's endorsement. “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 Brown's repeated attacks that he is a darling of the Washington establishment. “You're repeating the same thing,” Gunter added.
Brown, a former Army captain, nearly lost his life when his car ran over a Taliban-planted explosive device in Afghanistan in 2008. 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. The injuries left him permanently scarred.
He ran unsuccessfully for the Texas House of Representatives in 2014 and moved to Reno with his wife in 2018. In 2022, he lost the Republican primary for the Texas Senate to former Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who lost in the general election to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, whose victory helped Democrats maintain control of the Senate.
Assuming Brown advances to the general election, he may be encouraged by Trump's strong approval ratings in Nevada, which hasn't voted Republican for president since 2004 and is poised to be one of Biden's most swing states in November.
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 in his bid to keep his Senate seat.
