The tough Republican primary, where nearly a dozen Senate candidates targeted retired Army Capt. Sam Brown, is fading away for some. They prioritize defeating Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen over past disagreements within their party over the past 11 months.
However, runner-up Jeff Gunter isn’t moving on.
“The America First supporters weren’t interested in campaigning with him during the entire primary season. He relied on establishment influence and money to secure the nomination,” Gunter said on Wednesday after finishing a distant second.
The dermatologist and former Trump-appointed ambassador to Iceland continued his criticism of Brown as the establishment candidate in a lengthy statement. He even predicted that Rosen would win another term in November.
Gunter’s critique could complicate early efforts by the GOP to unite behind Brown. This comes as the state Republican Party tries to move past internal divisions from the primary and focus on what promises to be one of the most closely-watched Senate races this year.
Gunter also dismissed former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Brown, which came late and through a social media post after Trump appeared in Nevada before the primary. Gunter believes this won’t be enough to sway loyal Republicans to support Brown, who avoided debates and did not engage with the other 11 candidates in the race.
Jacky Rosen (Jimmy Marsh/Shutterstock)
“The base is discerning and won’t forget. I think he has a lot to prove before earning their backing,” Gunter added.
One of Gunter’s prominent supporters, Nevada GOP national committeewoman Sigal Chattah, struck a different note. She stated on Wednesday that a historical pattern where Nevada Republicans detract from nominees they don’t favor “ended last night.”
“Any efforts to sideline the elected candidate will face strong opposition from the party,” Chattah affirmed.
Throughout the campaign, Brown faced criticism from within his own party. He was faulted for skipping debates, changing his stance on the mothballed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, and being labeled as the chosen establishment candidate of national Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Brown’s absence from debates became a recurring theme, with candidates urging voters not to vote for him.
Some of these criticisms echoed Brown’s own messaging from two years ago when he ran in the Republican primary against Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who had received numerous high-profile endorsements.
