5 takeaways from the Nevada Senate debate

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Republican Sam Brown duked it out during their first and only debate Thursday night, making their pitches to voters in one of the key battleground states on the 2024 map and a must-win state for Democratic Senate majority hopes. 

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

The GOP nominee, who lost his bid for the party’s Senate nod two years ago, has repeatedly struggled to gather momentum in the race despite former President Trump’s strength in the Silver State. Some Nevada GOP officials have argued that his lack of familiarity with state issues will cost him, as he only moved there six years ago. 

The debate also took place at a crucial time; the state’s early voting kicks off Saturday. 

Here are five takeaways from the Nevada Senate debate.

It’s the economy 

Nevada is widely considered to have had one of the more sluggish economic recoveries after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the state’s economic standing is among the biggest issues in the Senate race. 

Moderators opened the hourlong event with a question about how each candidate would help curb the pocketbook pinch Nevadans are facing. 

The incumbent Democrat criticized the possibility of a merger between Kroger and Albertsons, the state’s two main grocers, arguing it would only further increase the price of food and goods and would cost the state jobs. She also laid blame at the feet of oil companies, with Nevada having one of the highest prices per gallon of any state, and cited the ongoing housing shortage.  

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

Brown attempted to paint Rosen as out of touch and argued 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 the elimination of taxes on tips for workers. The policy change, which Trump initially unveiled and Vice President Harris also backs, would have a sizable impact in the hospitality and tourism-laden state.

“If you’re receiving tips, then you ought to … not have to pay taxes on those tips,” Brown said. “People are desperate and this is a policy that would give them the ability to keep things together.” 

Candidates get fiery on abortion 

The most lively portion of the debate centered on the future of reproductive rights as Rosen attempted to tie Brown to a number of Republicans calling for a national abortion ban, which would contrast with the state’s law that protects the procedure until 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Brown said on three separate occasions in a matter of minutes that he is against a national abortion ban, backs the state’s current law and supports exceptions for rape, incest and for the life of the mother. He also mentioned that his wife, Amy, had an abortion at a young age, which has helped inform his opinion on the subject.

That, however, did not stop Rosen from bludgeoning him over the topic.

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

“If you don’t believe that he would support a nationwide abortion ban, then I’ve got some oceanfront property to sell you on the Las Vegas Strip,” she added. 

Despite Brown’s current stance, his past has opened himself up to criticisms; he previously backed an abortion ban in Texas. 

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

Brown tries to land a blow

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

He tried multiple times to make up ground by leveling criticisms against the Senate Democrat and attempted to paint her as an elitist and Washington insider who does not understand the plight of Nevadans.

Brown tried to pepper the two phrases into his answers throughout the debate, including in his response to a question on UFOs, Area 51 and whether Congress should investigate what the government calls unidentified anomalous phenomena. 

“But when you talk about secrets, here’s the sort of secrets Nevadans want to know about, and this — why Sen. Rosen has violated the STOCK Act multiple times,” Brown said, charging that her net worth went up by 61 percent during her Senate tenure. 

Rosen made sure people noticed that he did not answer the question.

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

Brown also tried a similar tack during a back-and-forth on immigration, accusing Rosen of having more security at her home than there is at the border.

Rosen sells moderation

The incumbent Democrat used the extended back-and-forth to pitch middle-of-the-road voters and repeatedly name-checked various bipartisan efforts in Congress, breaking with progressives in the upper chamber in the process. 

Rosen, among other items, pointed to her support for the bipartisan border bill earlier this year, her vote on the national security supplemental that boosted aid for Ukraine and Israel, and the backing she has secured from multiple GOP mayors in the battleground state. She called Brown “so extreme,” trying to create a contrast.

Perhaps her most striking remark came when she broke with a number of Senate Democrats and shot down the calls to add seats to the Supreme Court. 

“I don’t agree with increasing the size of the Supreme Court,” she told the moderators. “I would not add more justices.”

The first-term senator also pointed to her stance on Israel and said she disagrees with the Biden administration’s latest ultimatum to the Israeli government to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza in the next 30 days or risk losing U.S. military aid going forward. 

“I do believe that we have to get humanitarian aid into Gaza to the citizens there that need it. I do believe we have to continue to negotiate for the hostages,” Rosen said. “I do not support the ultimatum. I believe that we need to support Israel and its fight against terror.” 

Bipartisan questions about mass deportations

Trump’s promise to undertake mass deportations if he wins in November also came into question by both candidates as they sparred during an extended section on immigration and the border.

Brown, who won Trump’s support shortly ahead of the primary, said securing the border must be addressed before tackling any other immigration-related issues. But he acknowledged Trump’s plan would be complicated.

“That’s a very big logistical undertaking,” Brown said when pressed on the subject. “But what I can tell you is, we start with securing the border. And then we deport those criminals, like the 13,000 people who are convicted of homicide. We have convicted sexual assault people here as well. … We can start there, but this is a huge undertaking.” 

Rosen repeatedly pointed to her support for the bipartisan border package that was spiked by Republicans earlier this year and lambasted the ex-president’s plan to deport millions of immigrants.

“How would that happen?” Rosen said with a tone of incredulousness. “How many innocent people would get rounded up? We have to be thoughtful about what we do and not use it as a political football.”