A Rasmussen/American Thinker poll shows a seven-point shift towards retired U.S. Army Captain Sam Brown in the race to control the U.S. Senate. The poll taken prior to the debate between Brown and Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) shows Rosen has lost three points since September, with Brown gaining four points in just one month. The latest survey shows Rosen with a narrow three-point lead, 47 percent to 44 percent, and within the margin of error. In September, Rosen enjoyed a comfortable 10-point lead.

The debate and latest controversy at University of Nevada Reno may sway likely voters who are concerned over transgender players participating in women’s sports, a plank of the Trump and Brown campaign.

Last week, the University of Nevada Reno (UNR) women’s volleyball team announced they would forfeit their upcoming Oct. 26 match against San Jose State University (SJSU) due to their transgender player Blaire Fleming. The team specifically cited “fairness and safety concerns” as their reasons for forfeit.

To avoid legal liability, the university announced the match will be held despite the players’ commitment to forfeit. The players will not be forced to participate in the match, and they, in turn, announced that they will not compete, despite the university’s decision.

During the debate, Rosen offered very little support to female athletes in that she deferred to experts in “governing agencies” to make decisions to determine a female athlete’s right to fairness and safety.

“I can tell you that all student athletes deserve to have a fair competition and a level playing field. So I support parents, coaches, and the governing leagues. They are the governing bodies. They are the experts. I believe that they are the right ones to make these decisions, not politicians. So as in every other sporting issue, we allow the governing bodies to make those decisions. I think we should do that now.”

The moderators then turned to Sam Brown, asking: “Mister Brown, what rights, if any, should transgender athletes have while competing in women’s collegiate sports?

Brown replied, “Nevada, let me be clear. What we just heard was a politician say that she does not have enough knowledge on this issue to know whether or not biological males should be allowed to play in women’s sports. I will not support biological males playing in women’s sports. I was proud to stand with the University of Nevada at Reno’s women’s volleyball team on Tuesday evening as they came out and stand in a courageous act to defend their ability to have a a fair and safe and private locker rooms for their own sake. It’s sad to me when these young women are having to take a courageous stand and our politicians can’t even say that they have enough expertise to be able to weigh in on this issue. It’s shameful. ”

Rosen responded, “Well, we do have governing bodies. We have coaches, parents, and leagues, and they make all the decisions for sporting events. So, I think we should leave the decisions to the experts who make them, not to politicians. I actually, I fully support that all athletes should have a fair competition and a level playing field and allow the governing bodies that we have now, like the NCAA, and others, depending on where you’re competing, to make those rules and set those parameters.”

Last week, on October 17th, the New York Times and the Washington Post simultaneously declared that Brown was struggling to gain traction, despite cumulative polls showing he was gaining traction against the first-term incumbent. (see graph above)

According to latest cumulative polling, Brown trails Rosen by an average of five points. Rosen’s campaign continues to focus on expanding abortion rights (abortion up to 6 months pregnancy is codified into Nevada law) and features her as a bipartisan problem solver, despite the fact that she has voted with the Biden-Harris administration over 90 percent of the time. Brown has centered his campaign on crippling inflation and the porous southern border, yet continues to trail Rosen in fundraising. As reported by The Globe, 94 percent of Rosen’s campaign donations came from out-of-state donors.