War veteran Sam Brown wins GOP primary in top battleground Senate race

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Trump endorses Sam Brown for Senate in Nevada

Nevada Senate candidate and retired U.S. Army Captain Sam Brown reacts to Trump's endorsement and what inspired him to run for office. 

RENO, Nev. – Afghanistan war veteran Sam Brown has won Nevada's Republican Senate primary and will now face off against a tough incumbent Democrat in the November general election.

Brown led former U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Jeffrey Gunter by around 24 percentage points when The Associated Press called the race.

The campaign turned increasingly ugly in the months preceding the election, with Gunter and Brown battling over who was the true MAGA and America First candidate in the race. 

However, a late endorsement from former President Trump appears to have helped solidify Brown's status as the frontrunner and boosted him over the finish line.

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Former U.S. Army Captain and Republican Nevada Senate candidate Sam Brown. (Sam Brown for Nevada)

Brown also has the backing of Nevada's popular Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, a figure who largely stays out of the spotlight and rarely weighs in on such instances of increased national attention.

Brown will now face incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen in the November general election, where Democrats hope her well-financed operation will keep the Silver State firmly blue in a year Republicans are expected to perform well across the country.

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U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., speaks during a news conference June 16, 2023, at the East Vegas Library.  (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Little polling has been conducted on the race, but a New York Times poll released last month showed the two tied at 41% with a number still undecided.

Democrats hold a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate, and the Nevada race is being viewed as a top flip opportunity for Republicans, along with races in West Virginia, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland and Arizona.

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Republicans lost a bid to unseat incumbent Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto by less than a percentage point in 2022.

Elections analysts rate the race as either "tilt Democratic," "lean Democratic," or a "toss-up."

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.