All Nevada’s Congressional races set for November as Lee wins 4th District GOP primary

The Republican nominees who will face off against the Democratic incumbents in Nevada’s federal races in November are all squared away.

Tuesday’s primary produced results relatively quickly, with early vote counts coming in about an hour after polls closed. The Associated Press called the Senate primary at 8:11 p.m. Tuesday night, with Army veteran Sam Brown making it through with nearly 60 percent of the votes to face Sen. Jacky Rosen in November.

Drew Johnson is geared to take on Rep. Susie Lee in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District and Mark Robertson is set to have another rematch with Rep. Dina Titus in Nevada’s 1st Congressional District.

On Wednesday night, The Associated Press called the GOP primary in Nevada’s 4th Congressional District for former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, who is set to take on Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford in the fall. He eked out a win over retired Air Force Lt. Col. David Flippo by around 3.3 percentage points, according to The Associated Press.

“I’m very excited about this opportunity,” Lee said Wednesday night. “The country is going to move in a different direction. I want to be a part of it. I’m looking forward to serving my wonderful residents of the state of Nevada.” Lee added he is happy to have been endorsed by Gov. Joe Lombardo and former President Donald Trump, and he appreciates his campaign staff.

Brown vs. Rosen

Brown, a former Army captain who was severely wounded on duty, ran away with the primary, defeating Dr. Jeff Gunter, who has received 15 percent, former Nevada Assemblyman Jim Marchant, who has received 6.6 percent, and several other Republican candidates, according to The Associated Press.

“I’m thankful to everyone who propelled us to victory tonight, and I invite all Nevadans to stand with us as we work toward victory in November,” Brown said in a statement Tuesday night.

Ahead of the primary, Brown scored the endorsement of major Republican leaders, including former President Donald Trump and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo. He also received the backing of national Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Brown previously ran for Senate in 2022 but didn’t make it through the primary, losing to former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt. The Republican will next face Rosen, a first-term senator who has framed herself as a moderate, bipartisan candidate. She won her primary in a landslide, receiving more than 90 percent of the votes.

The two have already been attacking each other, with Brown criticizing her for her record supporting President Joe Biden and blaming her for high prices. Rosen’s campaign, on the other hand, has criticized Brown for his positions on abortion and his changing stance on Yucca Mountain. Rosen has an advantage when it comes to resources; she has a $10.25 million war chest, a giant sum compared with $2.5 million for Brown. That is expected to change, however, as the general election season is officially under way.

“Nevadans know my record of working across party lines to get results and taking on special interests to lower costs – it’s why I’m ranked one of the most bipartisan, independent, and effective members of the Senate,” Rosen said in a statement Tuesday night. “I’m proud of the work I’ve done with both parties to rebuild our infrastructure with good-paying jobs, support our veterans, and invest in local law enforcement.”

Brown said Tuesday night began a ‘new phase of accountability’ for Biden and Rosen.

“Nevadans sent a unified message tonight that they are fed-up with the failed Biden-Rosen agenda of out-of-control prices and chaos at the border,” he said in a statement. “I’m honored to be the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Nevada, and I look forward to unifying Nevadans around the ideas of lowering prices, securing our border, and restoring hope to our citizens.”

Conceding the Senate race

Following Brown’s reported primary win, some of his opponents expressed disappointment.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Tony Grady, who received 5.5 percent of the votes in the Republican Senate primary, said he called Brown and congratulated him on his win.

“I wish him well as our Republican nominee and next U.S. senator,” Grady said in a statement. “Traveling throughout the Silver State for the last 11 months has been an incredible experience and I was blessed to meet and share my message with so many Nevadans. … My journey does not end here — I will continue to fight for our American values and conservative agenda.”

Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District

Johnson, a conservative policy analyst, won the primary for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, The Associated Press reported Tuesday night. He received 32 percent of the votes as of Wednesday evening. Former Nevada Treasurer Dan Schwartz was at 22.3 percent, former State Sen. Elizabeth Helgelien was at 20.6 percent, and “Halo” composer Marty O’Donnell was at 20.4 percent, according to The Associated Press.

O’Donnell, who secured Lombardo’s endorsement and framed his campaign around being a political outsider and not accepting corporate PAC money, accepted his election loss.

“Well, I never wanted to be a politician, and now I don’t have to be! Yay!” he said on X Wednesday morning.

Johnson said he is ready to take on Lee and plans to highlight what he says are her policy problems, from supporting Biden’s “open borders and allowing men to compete in women’s sports.”

“I feel like we’re really well-positioned to take on Susie Lee,” Johnson said Tuesday night. “I think we’ll have a message and a plan that improves the lives of voters in Southern Nevada.”

Lee, who easily won her primary, said in a statement Tuesday night she is honored to have the trust and confidence of families in Southern Nevada and looks forward to winning her re-election. She said Southern Nevada’s future is under attack by “far-right extremists who will bow to big corporations and the ultra-wealthy.”

Nevada’s 1st Congressional District

Robertson, who unsuccessfully ran against Titus in 2022, will get another chance to defeat her in November. Robertson received 48.2 percent of the vote to restaurateur Flemming Larsen’s 39.1 percent.

Robertson thanked God, his wife and the volunteers who helped run his campaign.

“We will continue to run a grassroots campaign,” Robertson said Tuesday night. “There’s lots of enthusiasm in the campaign. The timing is right. People don’t like the direction our country is going. It’s time for a change, and I’m going to be a part of that change.”

“I have beaten Mr. Robertson before, and I look forward to beating him again this November,” Titus said in a statement Tuesday night. “Southern Nevadans have already rejected Robertson’s plans to ban abortion nationwide, eliminate the Department of Education, and cut Social Security and Medicare.”

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.