Trump Teases Endorsement in Nevada US Senate Race

In an interview with reporter Josh Meny of 2 News Nevada, former President Donald Trump announced that he will endorse a candidate in the Nevada U.S. Senate race “over the next two to three days” and reaffirmed his opposition to the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository project which has become a toxic campaign issue for GOP primary candidate Captain Sam Brown.

Meny: Alright, Mr. President. Your former Iceland ambassador, Jeff Gunter, is now in a tight race with Sam Brown. Why haven’t you endorsed Jeff Gunter?

Donald Trump: Well, I have to say there’s a tight race. I’ve seen polls where Sam is leading actually by quite a bit, so I haven’t heard that it’s a tight race. I like all of the candidates, frankly. including Marchant. I like him. I’m going to be making endorsements over the next couple of days. But it looks to me like Sam has got a pretty good lead. You know, I’m speaking here from just a small amount of knowledge. I do study that race. It’s an important race, and you have good candidates, but I’ll be endorsing somebody over the next two to three days.

Depending on the poll, Brown “has got a pretty good lead” over his GOP challengers. A recent poll by Emerson College/KLAS/The Hill shows a virtual tie between Rosen and Brown with over 20 percent of respondents undecided. Last month, the Cook Political Report downgraded the battleground race to a “toss-up.”

To note, Brown was leading his primary challengers in fundraising until Gunter invested $3 million into his campaign.

According to recent FEC reports, Brown has $2.3 million on hand to Gunter’s $2.5 million. Jim Marchant with $345,000 raised and $58,000 on hand places a distant third in fundraising, followed by Tony Grady, retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, with $165,000 raised and $57,000 on hand.

Democratic donors from California, New York and Massachusetts are fueling Rosen’s reelection campaign. According to FEC documents, out-of-state donors accounted for over 90 percent of the approximate $3.2 million Rosen raised in the last quarter of 2023, compared to less than 9 percent donated by Nevada residents.

Last week, Gunter released a statewide ad targeting Brown’s “support” of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository. In the ad, Gunter highlights his alliance with Trump and paints Brown as an establishment candidate who “has sold out to Mitch McConnell.”

Senator Jacky Rosen refers to the repository as a “nuclear waste dumping ground” and has used the project as a campaign issue against Brown. Recently, Rosen and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto introduced legislation to ban nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain and repurpose the project.

In Las Vegas, Nevada Democrats held a press conference criticizing Sam Brown’s “support” of transferring nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.

“This issue isn’t Republicans versus Democrats, it’s Sam Brown versus Nevada,” said Rory Reid, former chair of the Clark County Commission and the son of the late Sen. Harry Reid. “Mr. Brown’s position ignores the collective wisdom of almost every other Nevadan that has ever been elected to serve this state in any capacity,” Reid told The Las Vegas Sun.

In response to their charges, Brown told The Globe: “Contrary to the political lies being spread by democrats like Jacky Rosen and Jeff Gunter, I have not committed to supporting the opening of Yucca Mountain. However, I will consider all thoroughly vetted future proposals, with the safety of Nevadans being my top priority, while ensuring the proposals are substantially economically beneficial. Leadership means considering all economic opportunities that could better support the lives of Nevadans.”

In the wake of Trump’s interview with 2 News Nevada, Dr. Jeff Gunter responded to The Globe, “I am the most pro-Trump candidate in this race. I am also the strongest candidate in this race to defeat Jacky Rosen. And given the major new numbers from top Trump pollster John McLaughlin showing Sam Brown’s support collapsing, I have 110% of the momentum in this race. We don’t need candidates who will sell out to swamp and undermine the America First agenda.We need authentic America First fighters who will do whatever it takes to get the job done in November.”

The latest poll by McLaughlin shows that Brown’s support collapses if he supports transferring nuclear waste to the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste repository. The poll also demonstrates the power of Trump’s endorsement in this critical race.

Mclaughlin concludes: “Although Sam Brown may have had a head start, his lead is rapidly collapsing as voters learn that Jeff Gunter is the true Trump America First candidate in the Nevada Republican Senate primary. Furthermore, Sam Brown’s lead will be nuked when the voters learn that Sam Brown opposes President Trump and Jeff Gunter who want to block the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste plant. Finally, President Trump’s endorsement of Jeff Gunter would assure Jeff Gunter of winning the Nevada Republican primary for US Senate.”

At the time of publishing, Brown’s campaign was unavailable for comment. We will add their comment to the article when and if received.