In Nevadaʼs Senate race Republican Sam Brown is having a hard time catching up to Democrat Jacky Rosen. The election‚ happening in about three weeks is turning out to be a tough fight for Brown.
Ed Lawson‚ Sparks mayor (a city with roughly 110‚000 people near Reno) is planning to vote for Rosen instead of Brown. He says‚ “Sam Brown doesnt get it; he hasnt ever come talk to us and ask us what we need in Sparks“. This shows how Brown is having trouble connecting with local leaders.
Brown‚ who moved to Nevada roughly 6 years ago is new to the stateʼs politics. He ran for Senate before‚ losing in the primary two years ago. His campaign is having money problems and isnt getting conservatives excited – even in rural areas where Republicans usually do well.
On the other hand‚ Rosen who got into politics not long ago (picked by Harry Reid to run for Senate after one term in the House) is doing better. Shes ahead in polls by about 8.5 points. Republicans internal polls show Brown behind by 5-7 points – hard to fix with little time left.
Brownʼs team says he can still win by getting Donald Trumpʼs supporters to vote for him. But some Republicans think hes relying too much on his story as a military veteran (he was badly hurt in Afghanistan about 16 years ago) and not talking enough about issues voters care about.
I may have missed somebody‚ but Iʼve done a pretty broad reach out across electives across the state
Rosen has been working hard to connect with local leaders. Nathan Robertson‚ Republican mayor of Ely (a small town far from big cities) plans to vote for her. He says she visits every year and helps get federal money for the town.
The race is also about big issues like:
- Housing crisis
- Immigration
- Abortion rights
Rosenʼs campaign has spent way more on ads – at least $75 million compared to Brownʼs much smaller amount. This makes it harder for Brown to get his message out.
In the end‚ Brown needs to do really well in rural areas and with Latino voters to have a chance. But right now‚ it looks like Rosen has the upper hand in this Senate race