Jacky Rosen defeats GOP challenger Sam Brown in Nevada Senate race
In a closely contested race, incumbent Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) successfully defeated her Republican opponent, Sam Brown, ensuring her reelection to a second term in the Nevada Senate. The race, which was tighter than anticipated, saw Rosen receive 47.8% of the vote compared to Brown’s 46.4%, as reported by the Associated Press on November 9. Despite Brown trailing in polls and fundraising efforts throughout the campaign, he attempted to portray Rosen as an “elitist” during a debate, which ultimately did not alter the outcome.
In the final days leading up to the election, the Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC, invested $6.2 million in advertising to support Brown’s campaign. However, Rosen significantly out-fundraised Brown, raising over $43 million in her campaign compared to Brown’s nearly $18 million.
The election results came amidst a shifting national political landscape, with Democrats maintaining a slim Senate majority, although Republicans regained control in several key races. Rosen’s reelection was part of a larger trend of competitive Senate races in a challenging environment for the Democratic Party, especially given her past vulnerabilities highlighted in previous elections.
Jacky Rosen defeats GOP challenger Sam Brown in Nevada Senate race
Incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) defeated Republican challenger and army veteran Sam Brown in the Nevada Senate race, ensuring a second term as the state’s junior senator next Congress.
The race was much closer than Rosen would have liked and took days count. The Associated Press called the race for Rosen on Saturday Nov. 9 at 12:15 a.m. With 96% of the votes counted, Rosen scored 47.8% of the vote, to Brown’s 46.4%.
Brown consistently trailed Rosen in polling and fundraising throughout the cycle. But in their sole debate matchup, he attempted to brandish the Democratic lawmaker as an “elitist.” The gambit failed to help unseat Rosen.
In the race’s final days, the Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC, poured $6.2 million in TV, radio, and digital ad spending to boost Brown’s campaign, the first time it invested in the race. The ads began airing on Oct. 26, less than two weeks before the election.
According to Open Secrets, Rosen raised more than $43 million during her reelection bid and had $4.8 million cash on hand at the end of September, while Brown raised nearly $18 million and had $3.8 million cash on hand in the same period.
Democrats hold a slim majority of the Senate, but Republicans snatched back control. The GOP flipped retiring Sen. Joe Manchin’s (I-WV) seat, and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) lost their reelection bids.
Rosen was one of the most vulnerable senators this cycle, skipping her party’s national convention over the summer to campaign in her state. Fellow Nevadan Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) narrowly won her reelection bid during the 2022 midterm elections against Republican challenger Adam Laxalt.
The Democratic lawmaker focused much of her reelection bid emphasizing her bipartisan chops as she sought to win over independent voters in the state.
Nevada’s status as a battleground state saw multiple visits from Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, who hoped to turn out voters for their presidential races and for the down ballot races. When the race for Senate was called, the presidential results were also deciding, giving the state to Trump with 50.7% of the vote. That brings his total electoral college count to 301. Arizona is still undecided by the AP, but Trump is up with 82% of the votes counted.
Rosen first won the Senate seat after defeating former GOP Sen. Dean Heller during the midterm elections in 2018, when she represented the Silver State’s 3rd Congressional District in the House of Representatives.
Brown was an Army veteran who served during the Afghanistan war, where he sustained extensive burns to his body due to an improvised explosive device. He first ran for the Nevada Senate seat in 2022 but lost the GOP primary before winning during the 2024 cycle.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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