Politics

Afghanistan war vet Sam Brown secures Republican nomination in Nevada Senate primary  

By
Social Links for Victor Nava
Published June 11, 2024, 11:23 p.m. ET

Decorated retired Army Capt. Sam Brown defeated his Republican rivals in Nevada’s Senate primary Tuesday and will face incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) in November. 

Brown, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient who served in the war in Afghanistan, received 56.8% of the GOP primary vote. 

No other candidate in the crowded GOP field received more than 16.5% support.

Sam Brown
Brown secured former President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the race over the weekend. Mark Robison/RGJ / USA TODAY NETWORK

Brown’s general election matchup against Rosen, who has served in the upper chamber since 2019, is considered one of the most competitive races of the 2024 cycle. 

Former President Donald Trump had endorsed Brown on Sunday in a Truth Social post.

“Sam Brown is a FEARLESS AMERICAN PATRIOT, a Purple Heart Recipient, who has proven he has the ‘PURE GRIT’ and COURAGE to take on our Enemies, both Foreign and Domestic,” the 77-year-old presumptive GOP presidential nominee wrote. 

“Sam has already proven his Love for our Country, being horrifically wounded, and making the Comeback of a Lifetime,” he added, referencing the devastating injuries Brown suffered as a result of a roadside bomb that nearly killed him in Kandahar in 2008. 

The explosion scarred his face and burned 30% of the retired service man’s body. 

Sam Brown
Brown was wounded in combat in Afghanistan in 2008. X / @CaptainSamBrown

On the Democratic side, Rosen easily defeated her primary opponents, winning with 92.5% of the vote. 

The Nevada Senate race could determine which party controls the upper chamber next year, and the Silver State appears to be leaning red in 2024. 

Polls show Trump leading President Biden by more than 5 points in Nevada, according to a RealClearPolitics average of surveys. 

Democrats currently hold a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate. 

Rosen’s matchup against Brown, along with Sen. Jon Tester’s (D-Mont.) race against Republican Tim Sheehy and Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D-Ohio) contest against Republican Bernie Moreno are considered the GOP’s best bets to pick up seats in the Senate. 

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) narrowly defeated Trump-backed Republican Adam Laxalt in Nevada’s 2022 Senate race, beating the state’s former attorney general by less than 1 percentage point.