Five takeaways from the Nevada Senate debate

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Republican Sam Brown went head-to-head in their first and only debate Thursday night, facing voters in one of the most important battleground states on the 2024 map and a must-win state Majority hopes in the Democratic Senate.

Rosen, a senator in his first term, has maintained a steady lead over the retired Army captain throughout the cycle, bolstered by a fundraising and spending advantage that has helped keep Brown at arm’s length since his June primary win.

The Republican candidate, who lost his bid for his party’s Senate leadership two years ago, has repeatedly struggled to gain traction in the race despite former President Trump’s strength in the Battle Born State. Some GOP officials in Nevada have argued that his lack of familiarity with state affairs will cost him, since he moved there only six years ago.

The debate also came at a crucial time. Early voting begins Saturday in Nevada.

Here are five takeaways from the Nevada Senate debate.

It’s the economy

Nevada is widely considered to have experienced one of the slower economic recoveries following the COVID-19 pandemic, and the state’s economic situation is one of the biggest issues in the Senate race.

Moderators opened the hour-long event with a question about how each candidate would help stem the cash crunch facing Nevadans.

The incumbent Democrat criticized the possibility of a merger between Kroger’s and Albertsons, the state’s two largest grocers, arguing that it would only further increase the prices of food and goods and cost the state jobs. She also blamed oil companies, saying Nevada has one of the highest prices per gallon of any state, and cited the ongoing housing crisis.

“The grocery chains, the big oil companies – they’re making record profits quarter after quarter,” she said.

Brown tried to portray Rosen as out of touch, arguing that she doesn’t have her finger on the pulse of everyday Nevadans.

At 5.5 percent, Nevada has the highest unemployment rate of any state.

The two also signaled their support for eliminating taxes on employee tips. The policy change, which former President Trump initially announced and which Vice President Harris supported, would have a significant impact on the hospitality and tourism-driven state.

“If you receive tips, you … shouldn’t have to pay taxes on those tips,” Brown said. “People are desperate and this policy gives them the opportunity to hold things together.”

Candidates rage over abortion

The liveliest part of the debate centered on the future of reproductive rights, as Rosen tried to link Brown to a number of Republicans who were calling for a statewide abortion ban, which would contradict state law that restricts the procedure until April 24. week of pregnancy protects.

Brown said on three separate occasions within minutes that he opposed a statewide abortion ban, supported the state’s current law and supported exceptions for rape, incest and for the life of the mother. He also mentioned that his wife Amy had an abortion when she was young, which shaped his opinion on the subject.

However, that didn’t stop Rosen from blasting him over the issue.

“This is essentially about freedom and … complications late in pregnancy — they are tragic, they are terrible and they are rare,” Rosen said. “A doctor’s office, a hospital room or an emergency room is too small a place for a woman, for a family and her doctor, to have a politician like Sam Brown, Mitch McConnell or anyone else sitting there telling them what they can do and what they can do “What they can do” doesn’t work.”

“If you don’t think he would support a nationwide abortion ban, then I can sell you an oceanfront property on the Las Vegas Strip,” she added.

Despite Brown’s current stance, his past has been criticized on this front, as he previously supported an abortion ban in Texas.

Abortion will literally be on the ballot in the state next month in the form of Question 6, which would enshrine a right to abortion in the state constitution. Brown has signaled he opposes the ballot initiative.

Brown tries to land a punch

The debate was the only meeting between the two candidates and likely Brown’s last chance to leave a lasting impression in voters’ minds.

He tried several times to gain ground by criticizing the Senate Democrat, trying to portray her as an elite fighter and Washington insider who doesn’t understand the plight of Nevadans.

Brown attempted to incorporate the two phrases into his answers throughout the debate, including in his response to a question about UFOs, Area 51 and whether Congress should investigate the unidentified objects.

“But when you talk about secrets, those are the kind of secrets that Nevadans want to know about, and that’s why Senator Rosen has violated the STOCK Act on multiple occasions,” Brown said, indicating that her net worth while their Senate election has increased by 61 percent.

Rosen made sure people noticed he didn’t answer the question.

“Because it had nothing to do with UFOs,” she said, saying his accusation had been debunked.

During an argument over immigration, Brown tried a similar approach, accusing Rosen of having more security at her home than at the border.

Rosen sells moderation

The incumbent Democrat used the extensive back-and-forth to woo middle-class voters and repeatedly vetted various bipartisan efforts in Congress, breaking with progressives in the upper chamber.

Rosen pointed to her support of the bipartisan border bill earlier this year, her vote on the national security amendment that increased aid to Ukraine and Israel, and the support she received from several Republican mayors in the battleground state, among other things . She called Brown “so extreme” and tried to create a contrast.

Perhaps her most striking remark came when she broke with a number of Senate Democrats and rejected calls for more Supreme Court seats.

“I don’t agree with expanding the size of the Supreme Court,” she told the hosts. “I wouldn’t add any more judges.”

The first-term senator also noted her stance on Israel, saying she disagreed with the Biden administration’s recent ultimatum to the Israeli government to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza in the next 30 days or else they risk receiving US military aid in the future.

“I am convinced that we must bring humanitarian aid to Gaza to the citizens there who need it. I really believe we need to continue negotiating about the hostages,” Rosen said. “I do not support the ultimatum. I believe that we must support Israel and its fight against terror.”

Bipartisan questions about mass deportations

Former President Trump’s promise to carry out mass deportations if he wins in November was also questioned by both candidates as they dueled during a lengthy segment on immigration and the border.

Brown, who won Trump’s endorsement just before the primary, said securing the border must be addressed before other immigration-related issues are addressed. However, he acknowledged that Trump’s plan would be complicated.

“This is a very large logistical undertaking,” Brown said when asked about the topic. “But what I can tell you is that we are starting to secure the border. And then we deport these criminals, like the 13,000 people convicted of murder. Here, too, we have convicted people of sexual assault. … We can start there, but it’s a huge undertaking.”

Rosen repeatedly pointed to her support for the bipartisan border package that Republicans boosted earlier this year and criticized the former president’s plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

“How would that happen?” Rosen said with an incredulous tone. “How many innocent people would be arrested? We have to think about what we do and not use it as a political football.”

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