Nevada Senate Showdown: High-Stakes Race Ignites Turbulence in Trump's Inner Circle

The Nevada Senate race is unfolding as a contentious high-stakes showdown, igniting divisions within former President Donald Trump's orbit as Republican candidates vie for his endorsement. This pivotal race stands out as one of the rare contests where Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee are not publicly aligned.

The Silver State's Senate seat is extremely consequential, as demonstrated in the 2022 midterm election, where the race was decided by a mere 0.77 percent, the tightest margin of any Senate race in the nation. With incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV) edging out Republican challenger, former NV Attorney General Adam Laxalt, Democrats were left with a narrow 51-49 majority in the upper chamber of Congress.

Looking ahead to 2024, Republicans only need a net gain of one or two seats to secure the majority, depending on the party in control of the White House following the upcoming presidential election. Meanwhile, Democrat Jacky Rosen is seen as more vulnerable than Masto was; with the race being moved by The Cook Report from "Lean Democrat" into the "Toss Up" column, the Battle Born State is fertile ground for a fiercely contested election.

The top Republican in the race is considered to be Captain (Ret.) Sam Brown, who received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart after he was injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, leaving him with distinct scarring from burns and subsequent skin grafting that have become his most endearing trademark. Brown was recruited as a candidate by Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), Chairman of the NRSC. Brown previously ran for a state representative seat in Texas in 2014 before moving to Nevada, where he ran for Senate in the Republican primary in 2022, coming in second to Laxalt.

Last week, Brown traveled to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort to seek Trump's endorsement, as confirmed by two sources familiar with the meeting to CNN. Some of Trump’s most ardent and vocal supporters have regarded Brown with animosity while privately encouraging the former president to back Dr. Jeffrey Gunter, his former ambassador to Iceland.

Gunter, a dermatologist, was also recently at Mar-a-Lago, where a fundraiser was held for him, before his campaign launched a multi-million dollar ad buy across the state, promoting the former Californian resident as "110 percent pro-Trump." Former state Assemblyman Jim Marchant is also running for the nomination, after securing Trump's endorsement in 2022 in his failed bid for Secretary of State.

Last weekend, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) organized a rally for Gunter at a Las Vegas hotel. Meanwhile, Brown has garnered public support from national figureheads as well, with a notable appearance from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at a fundraiser for Brown last year.

Some MAGA personalities, including Laura Loomer, who was on the host committee for Gunter's fundraiser, and Roger Stone, criticize Brown for his affiliations with mainstream Republicans. Brown's dissenters point to an August interview with Punchbowl News where he avoided stating whether he would feel comfortable sharing the GOP ticket with Trump in Nevada. In the interview, Brown said that he will support the GOP nominee regardless of who wins it, saying, "I’m comfortable with anyone challenging Joe Biden and ultimately defeating Joe Biden."

Brown door-knocked for Trump and endorsed him in 2020. In 2022, Brown endorsed his primary opponent in the general election, the then-Trump-backed candidate Laxalt, and made an appearance with the Republican nominee at an event for military veterans. This year, Brown endorsed the former president again ahead of the Iowa caucuses.

Critics of Brown have shared details about his perceived lack of alignment and his mainstream rather than MAGA image with Trump, aiming to prevent any potential endorsement, sources say. Similarly, negative information about Gunter, such as his past registration as a Democrat and negative reports on his ambassadorship, citing a 2021 State Department inspector general report, has been forwarded to Trump in attempts to sway his opinion, according to sources familiar with the interactions.

Per CNN, National Republicans advised Gunter against entering the Senate primary, according to two sources familiar with the conversations. At the same time, sources close to Gunter and Brown each insisted that Trump’s top campaign officials were on their side and that they believed there was a chance the former president would endorse their candidate.

While there is a notable absence of primary polling between Brown and Gunter, polls conducted in February showed a 13-point lead for Brown over Marchant. As of last month, in a head-to-head general election matchup against Rosen, the Democrat incumbent leads Gunter by a margin of 10 points and Brown by 2. It remains unclear if Trump will be making a primary endorsement in this key race.