Today, the Cook Political Report shifted their Nevada Senate race rating from Lean Democrat to Toss Up, further putting incumbent Democrat Senator Jacky Rosen on defense in what will be one of the closest watched Senate races in the country. Cook rightfully predicts the Nevada Senate race to be “one of the toughest in the country.” Republicans haven’t won a statewide federal race since 2012.

In the last Nevada Senate race, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto vastly outspent her GOP opponent Adam Laxalt and secured her reelection victory by less than 8,000 votes.

In a crowded GOP primary, Captain Sam Brown has significantly out-raised his Republican challengers and recently earned the endorsement of Governor Joe Lombardo. Brown has also received endorsements and financial backing from a number of national Republicans, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and Americans for Prosperity.

NRSC Spokeswoman Maggie Abboud released the following statement in response to the shift: “Jacky Rosen is struggling to connect with Nevada voters because she can’t defend her record of rubber stamping Joe Biden’s policies that have caused higher prices, open borders, and out of control crime.”

Senator Rosen leads all candidates in fundraising with over $10 million cash on hand, primarily from out-of-state donors, and has recently launched a campaign ad highlighting her bipartisanship, although she votes with Biden 93 percent of the time.

Rosen’s bipartisan push comes at a time when Biden continues to plummet in the polls, trailing Trump by two to five percent margins with Silver State voters.

“Nevada is now a toss up because Jacky Rosen is a rubber stamp for Joe Biden and has made things worse for Nevadans, from high prices to the open border. We are going to win in November, secure the border and make Nevada more affordable for middle class families,” said Sam Brown, in response to the rating shift. 

Middle class Nevadans have been struggling under the weight of inflation, despite the fact that Rosen supported the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Biden. Since that time, inflation has skyrocketed across the Silver State.

Last month, the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) released their monthly State Inflation Tracker that shows Nevadans are spending an extra $13,334 a year just to maintain the same standard of living they enjoyed in January of 2021, right before inflation soared to 40-year highs, according to a recent analysis of government data.

Back in November, 2023, The Globe reported that Nevadans are spending over $13,296 per household due to “Bidenomics.” In May 2022, The Globe reported that Nevadan households were hit the hardest by inflation. At that time, Nevadans were paying an additional $8,231 annually for basic household expenses.

Cumulatively, Nevadans have been taxed an additional $26,614 due to inflation under the Biden Administration, according to the JEC’s estimates.

“Jacky Rosen has prioritized what Joe Biden wants over what Nevada’s working families need, and our bank accounts are empty because of it. In November, Nevada will end Joe Biden and Jacky Rosen’s American Nightmare and elect Sam Brown to lead our grassroots movement towards a new future of opportunity and prosperity for every Nevadan,” said Kristy Wilkinson, Communications Director for Sam Brown for Nevada.

Editors note: This post has been updated for clarification to include “statewide” in the byline and body of the article.