Another Republican who tried to take on Cortez Masto, though, expressed interest in a campaign against Rosen to Hill. An advisor for Army veteran Sam Brown, who lost last year's primary to Laxalt 56-34, says his client "has received a very enthusiastic response from both his statewide grassroots organization and the extensive national donor base that he built in 2022, but he hasn't made a decision yet on a run." Brown's team previously didn't rule anything out in November, but this is the first we've heard from them since then.
While Brown didn't come close last time to denying the GOP nod to the well-established Laxalt, he ran an unexpectedly strong campaign. Brown, whose face was badly burned by an explosion in Afghanistan, raised a credible amount of money (his great uncle is Cincinnati Bengals' owner Mike Brown). The Army veteran also tried to out-Big Lie Laxalt by accusing him of waiting too long to file litigation trying to overturn Biden's win in 2020.
Still, all this was far from enough to keep Laxalt, who enjoyed backing from Donald Trump and the Club for Growth, from decisively prevailing in the nomination fight. Both the former attorney general and the Club highlighted how Brown had unsuccessfully competed in a 2014 primary for a state House seat in Texas: The Club even ran a TV ad playing audio of Brown saying, "It will literally take an act of God to get me out of Texas … I want Texas to continue to be the greatest place in this country … I'm not going anywhere."
Another loser from the 2022 cycle who is talking about running against Rosen now is April Becker, who narrowly failed to oust Democratic Rep. Susie Lee in the 3rd District. Becker, writes Hill, has repeatedly gone after the senator on Twitter, while a speaker at this year's National Cowboy Poetry Gathering even identified her as a candidate. (We don't know if Becker herself delivered any cowboy poems, sadly.) That person appears to have gotten ahead of themselves, though, as her spokesperson says she's still, in Hill's words, "keeping her options open."
Becker previously ran for the legislature in 2020 and lost to state Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro in a 631-vote squeaker. Rather than accept that loss, though, Becker went to court and unsuccessfully demanded a "revote," which predictably never happened. The Republican soon went up against Lee in the revamped 3rd District, a constituency in the southern Las Vegas suburbs that backed Biden 52-46, and she had no trouble advancing out of the primary.
The race attracted $18.2 million in outside spending from the four biggest House groups in the nation (the DCCC and House Majority PAC on the Democratic side and the NRCC and Congressional Leadership PAC for the GOP), which made it one of the most expensive contests for the lower chamber in the nation. Lee, for her part, went after Becker's refusal to accept her last defeat with ads comparing her to the Jan. 6 rioters. Lee ended up holding on 52-48, and this time, Becker acknowledged her 10,000-vote defeat.
Two other Republicans also have not ruled out bids against Rosen: Rick Harrison, who is a cast member on the reality TV show "Pawn Stars," and Joey Gilbert, who was the runner-up in the 2022 primary for governor. Harrison, who has long been a presence on the GOP campaign circuit, told the Review-Journal, "I've been approached by many in the party and always listen with an open mind." He added, "Never say never, but at this time I haven't decided whether or not to throw my hat in the ring."
Gilbert's spokesperson likewise told Hill that he was listening to people who want him to run but is "not at the place to talk about his own political aspirations." Gilbert, a former professional boxer who bragged that he was "definitely on the Capitol steps" on Jan. 6, lost his last primary to the eventual winner, Joe Lombardo, 38-27. Gilbert's side characteristically responded by saying he "100% believes he received the most votes," and he went on to baselessly claim in court that an "illegal formula" was used to tally the results. But not only was Gilbert's case dismissed, a judge also ordered him to pay sanctions for filing a frivolous suit.
Hill mentions two other Republicans, state Senate Minority Leader Heidi Gansert and former Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, as possibilities, though neither commented for the story. Finally, former Gov. Brian Sandoval said, "I'm committed to our students, faculty and staff, and to my role as the president of the University of Nevada, Reno." Republicans tried hard to recruit him for a Senate bid in 2016 but he never seemed particularly interested in joining Congress, and there's been no sign he's had a change of heart over the ensuing years.
Senate
● MT-Sen: Axios says that, not only is NRSC chair Steve Daines working to recruit Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy to take on Democratic incumbent Jon Tester, but that Montana's junior senator is "close" to landing him. However, the story also says that Sheehy, who is capable of self-funding, hasn't reached a decision and isn't "expected to make an announcement soon."
If Sheehy does run, though, he may discourage a few potential intra-party rivals. Gov. Greg Gianforte, who didn't rule out a campaign against Tester last year, said of Sheehy, "I'm confident without a doubt he would serve Montana well as a senator." Sheehy and Rep. Ryan Zinke are good friends as well, and an unnamed Zinke ally said, "He'd be a terrific opponent against Tester." But Rep. Matt Rosendale, who like Zinke has been eyeing this race, did not join in the lovefest, and Axios indicated he wouldn't be deterred by Sheehy.
● OH-Sen: While GOP Rep. Warren Davidson doesn't appear to have said anything about challenging Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown since he first expressed interest in December, Axios reports that party leaders are "concerned" that the hardliner could get in after all.
Governors
● KY-Gov: Former Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft is going up with a commercial declaring that Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is the frontrunner in the May Republican primary, is doing "nothing" as the Biden administration shuts down coal-fired power plants. Cameron's campaign responded to the ad, which goes on to tout Craft as an ardent coal ally, with a statement saying, "The coal plant she's referring to in her flailing attack is a West Virginia plant. It provides no economic value to the Commonwealth, it appears none of the plant's workers live in Kentucky, and it contributes no tax revenue to Kentucky communities."
Craft's offensive comes days after her allies at Commonwealth PAC launched what AdImpact says is a $930,000 ad campaign attacking Cameron on border security. Craft, per AdImpact, has spent $2.3 million on commercials so far, while Cameron and the rest of the field have yet to take to the airwaves.
House
● CA-12: Alameda Vice Mayor Tony Daysog has set up a campaign account for a potential bid to succeed his fellow Democrat, Senate candidate Barbara Lee, in this dark blue East Bay seat.
● IN-05: State Rep. Chuck Goodrich filed FEC paperwork Thursday one day after he first publicly expressed interest in campaigning for the Republican nomination for this gerrymandered open seat.
● RI-01: WPRI reports that Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos has decided to run in the upcoming special election to succeed outgoing Rep. David Cicilline, a fellow Democrat who will resign on June 1 to head a nonprofit. Matos' team did not confirm or deny the reports, saying instead, "We expect to have an announcement Monday."
● SC-01: Businessman Michael B. Moore, who is the great-great grandson of the legendary Civil War figure and Reconstruction-era Rep. Robert Smalls, has announced that he's seeking the Democratic nomination to take on Republican Rep. Nancy Mace. The current version of South Carolina's 1st District along the state's coast backed Donald Trump 53-45, which would make it a tough lift for any Democrat.
The constituency may be different next year, though, as a federal court in January struck down the current 1st after ruling that Republican lawmakers intentionally discriminated against Black voters when they redrew it. However, it's likely Republicans will find a way to keep it sufficiently red even if they address the court's concerns about racial gerrymandering.
Moore, who filed a fundraising committee last month, previously served as the founding president and CEO of the International African American Museum, a Charleston-based institution that's set to open this year. The Democrat is a first-time candidate, but he comes from a distinguished family: Moore's ancestor, Smalls, famously escaped slavery in 1862 when he and his compatriots stole a well-armed cotton steamer with 17 enslaved people and steered it past rebel ships to Union lines.
Smalls went on to provide vital military intelligence to the United States and helped convince Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to enlist Black soldiers. Smalls, who served in combat throughout the duration of the Civil War, went on to become a Republican state legislator after the conflict as well as a congressman during three stints that spanned from 1875 to 1887. Another Moore ancestor, great-grandfather Samuel Jones Bampfield, also served in the state House during Reconstruction.
Judges
● WI Supreme Court: Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, which is the biggest spender on the right for the general election, is running a spot accusing progressive Janet Protasiewicz of not issuing harsh enough sentences in sexual assault cases.
Protasiewicz, meanwhile, is airing two new ad targeting conservative rival Dan Kelly. One commercial goes after him for having taken part in talks with Republicans following the 2020 presidential election in which participants discussed fielding fake Trump electors, with the narrator warning, "On April 4th, vote like democracy depends on it. Because it does." The other spot argues that, while Protasiewicz supports abortion rights, "Extremist Dan Kelly, he supports the 1849 law that takes away women's rights and criminalizes abortion even in cases of rape, incest, and health of the mother."
Mayors and County Leaders
● Bucks County, PA Board of Commissioners: The Bucks County Republican Party has endorsed county Controller Pamela Van Blunk as well as incumbent Gene DiGirolamo in the May 16 GOP primary, a contest where each party can nominate up to two candidates. The only other Republican in the race is Andy Warren, who served on the Commission from 1980 to 1995 and has since run for several offices as both a Democrat and a Republican.
Democrats seized a historic 2-1 majority on the Commission for this swing county in 2019, and incumbents Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Bob Harvie have no intra-party opposition in their re-election campaign. There are three countywide seats on the Bucks County Board of Commissioners, so there will be a 2-1 split no matter what: The question is which party will get the vital second seat they need to control the body.
● Chicago, IL Mayor: Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson has publicized an internal from Lake Research Partners showing him leading former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas 45-40 in the April 4 general, which is very different from the 44-32 Vallas lead that 1983 Labs recently found. There's no question, though, that Vallas has a big advertising edge: AdImpact tweeted Friday that he's deployed $1.6 million for the second round compared to $810,000 for Johnson.
● Montgomery County, PA Board of Commissioners: Five Democrats have filed to compete in the May 16 Democratic primary for the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, a body that was the source of intra-party drama last month. All three Commission seats are elected countywide, but each party may only nominate two candidates: There's little question, though, that the two Democrats who take the most votes this spring will go on to win seats on the Commission for what's become a heavily blue community.
One of the two Democratic commissioners, Ken Lawrence, is retiring, while appointed incumbent Jamila Winder has the party endorsement for a full four-year term. The other four contenders are Montgomery Township Supervisor Tanya Bamford; Whitpain Township Supervisor Kimberly Koch; attorney Neil Makhija; and county Prothonotary Noah Marlier, who is in charge of administering civil court documents.
Incumbent Joe Gale, who is the only Republican member of the Commission, is also running again, but his party rebuked him earlier this month by endorsing the other two GOP candidates, former school board member Tom DiBello and Upper Dublin Township Commissioner Liz Ferry.
Gale, who took all of 2% in last year's primary for governor, said he was "banned from attending" the gathering where the party made its decision. He argued he was being punished because the leadership doesn't want him to "share my opinion that endorsements do little more than serve the selfish interests of party bosses who desire to control handpicked candidates and influence the outcome of primary elections."
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