Long lines form in Nevada for GOP Senate nominee
Trump endorsed Laxalt; Brown backed by party’s anti-establishment base
LAS VEGAS — Republicans in Nevada were deciding Tuesday between a candidate with a political pedigree and former President Donald Trump’s backing and a political newcomer as their choice to try to unseat one of the most vulnerable Democratic senators in the country this fall.
The primary race was originally expected to be a cakewalk for Adam Laxalt, one of Nevada’s most prominent Republicans who has already won statewide office and attracted support from both Trump and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
Yet in the final weeks before Tuesday’s U.S. Senate primary, Nevada’s former attorney general faced a surprisingly spirited challenge from Sam Brown. A retired Army captain and Purple Heart recipient, Brown has appeared before swelling crowds drawn to his profile as a political outsider.
He bolstered his campaign with strong fundraising numbers, particularly among small-dollar donors who often represent the party’s grassroots.
Long lines kept some polling places open in Clark County, where about three-quarters of the state’s population lives, after polls were officially slated to close at 7 p.m. local time.
The winner in a GOP Senate contest would go on to face Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in what may be the GOP’s best opportunity to flip a Senate seat and regain control of the chamber.
Despite the intrigue surrounding the race, many Republicans still see Laxalt as best positioned to win the nomination, in no small part because of Trump’s backing.
“President Trump is the most popular Republican official in America by a long shot,” said Corry Bliss, a Republican strategist who works on campaigns around the U.S. “If you have his endorsement and you have resources to advertise that, you should win.”
Republicans in Nevada were also choosing a nominee to challenge Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak.
Laxalt is well-known in the state for having served for four years as Nevada’s attorney general and campaigned unsuccessfully for governor in 2018. He’s also the grandson of former U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt.
And perhaps most importantly in GOP circles, he’s got ties to Trump. Laxalt worked on Trump’s reelection campaign and promoted his lies about election fraud in the state after the 2020 election. Trump in turn hosted Laxalt for a fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, and appeared in a campaign ad for Laxalt.
But the party’s anti-establishment base has muscled behind Brown, who was badly burned by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan and has highlighted his personal story in his outsider crusade.
“I wasn’t born into power,” Brown declared in a recent campaign ad in which he recounted how he nearly died in Afghanistan. He then smiles, saying, “It turns out I’m hard to kill.”