Last week, in a new development in the Nevada Republican Senate Primary, MAGA extremist Sam Brown’s personal super PAC, Duty First Nevada, released an ad directly attacking Brown’s opponent, former Trump ambassador Jeff Gunter, as the “increasingly nasty” MAGA primary escalates even further. 

Read what statewide and national news outlets have to say about the race to the far-right: 

Punchbowl News: NRSC’s Trump strategy put to the test in battleground Nevada 

Andrew Desiderio and Max Cohen

May 10, 2024

• The Nevada primary is just a month away. And GOP frontrunner Sam Brown has yet to secure Trump’s endorsement despite a recent trip to Mar-a-Lago and separate efforts by top Republicans to convince the former president to back him.

• Trump’s hesitancy to endorse Brown is raising fears that Gunter could be a spoiler in a state Republicans believe is in play. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen (Nev.) is seeking a second term in November in a state that President Joe Biden won by just two points.

• A shift: The dynamic is prompting Brown and his allies to cozy up to Trump and bash Gunter. Just this week, a pro-Brown super PAC started airing an ad hitting Gunter as a California Democrat who’s not sufficiently pro-Trump. And Brown himself has upped his appearances on right-wing media.

• Gunter, for his part, argues in his ads that Brown is “owned by McConnell” and “owned by the swamp.” Gunter’s supporters include Trump loyalists like Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).

• Gunter’s big-money ad buys, combined with Trump’s formal neutrality in the race, are forcing Brown to tack to the right and devote more attention to a primary he once shrugged off.

• When we interviewed Brown in Nevada last summer, he refused to say whether he was comfortable sharing a ticket with Trump and dismissed the idea of a competitive primary.

• McConnell described Brown in a recent interview with Politico as “a quality candidate in Nevada who’s got a tough primary apparently.”

KTVN: Great Washoe Debate at Boomtown Casino

Josh Meny 

May 9, 2024 

• JOSH MENY: Yeah guys, the room is filling and the energy is up in here. Now, most of the Republican candidates are here except for a notable one and that’s the frontrunner, Sam Brown. 

• As you know Sam Brown’s biggest Republican primary challenger is Jeff Gunter, and he announced a $3.7 million ad buy reservation. He’s run a positive ad touting himself, as well as going dark with his “Scam Brown – swamp creature,” criticizing Sam Brown’s connection to DC and endorsement from Mitch McConnell and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. 

• Conversely, Sam Brown’s super PAC Duty First released a negative attack ad just in the last 24 hours calling Jeff Gunter a infomercial doctor and con man. Last week, POLITICO reported that Mitch McConnell admitted that his chosen candidate, Sam Brown, is facing a tough primary here in Nevada. 

• The rhetoric is getting increasingly nasty between MAGA candidates Jeff Gunter and Sam Brown, with both parties trying to make themselves look more conservative than the other. 

• What remains to be seen in the debate tonight is how much, or whether the candidates will criticize Brown for not attending another debate.

KLAS: Politics Now: Sam Brown’s Super PAC Attacks Jeff Gunter

• JOHN LANGELER: In the Senate race, the PAC backing Republican frontrunner Sam Brown now has this ad against Jeff Gunter, fellow Republican.

• It calls Gunter a con man and an infomercial doctor. Gunter’s a dermatologist and he was ambassador to Iceland in the Trump administration. 

• Meanwhile, Gunter has run attack ads against Brown for about a month. 

• Brown previously told Politics Now he was going to ignore his primary opponents.

Washington Examiner: Republican state parties aren’t lining up to help incumbents in key contests

Brady Knox

May 13, 2024

• The Nevada Republican Party hasn’t endorsed a rival to Sam Brown, national Republicans’ preferred candidate to take on incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), but has also refused to endorse him. Trump has also noticeably refrained from an endorsement.

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