Nevada Sen. Rosen gets new GOP challenger in Tony Grady

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Tony Grady launched a Senate challenge to Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) on Tuesday, becoming the latest Republican to vie for Rosen’s seat in Nevada.

Grady’s announcement comes one day after former U.S. ambassador to Iceland Jeff Gunter announced a run for Rosen’s seat. Retired Army Capt. Sam Brown and former Nevada Secretary of State Jim Marchant are also running in the Senate GOP primary.

The news of Grady’s announcement was first reported by Politico Playbook. Grady ran for lieutenant governor in Nevada last cycle but lost the GOP primary to Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony (R).

In a one-minute ad launching his campaign, Grady pointed to bread-and-butter Republican campaign issues like crime, illegal immigration and inflation. 

“And now Washington elites want to choose our candidates?” the text on the ad read, showing footage of President Biden and Rosen. “Not a chance,” the ad continued, before pointing out Grady’s experience as a commander in the military.

Some Senate Republicans have started to coalesce around Brown, who ran for Nevada Senate last cycle and lost to Republican Adam Laxalt. Laxalt lost to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) last November. 

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), chairman of the Senate GOP campaign arm, lauded Brown’s entry into the race, saying in a statement last month, “Sam Brown’s life of service and sacrifice is an inspiration to all Americans. I am very pleased that Sam is stepping up to run for the U.S. Senate.”

The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates the seat as “lean Democrat.”