LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Republican primary for U.S. Senate will determine the candidate who will face U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, the Democratic incumbent.
The Republican candidates are Sam Brown, William Conrad, William Hockstedler, Adam Laxalt, Sharelle Mendenhall, Tyler Perkins, Carlo Poliak and Paul Rodriguez. Brown and Laxalt are considered the favorites.
Laxalt (https://www.adamlaxalt.com/) has name recognition, fund-raising, his record as Nevada attorney general and his endorsement from former President Donald Trump. But his previous loss to Gov. Steve Sisolak in the 2018 race for governor opens the door to challengers.
Brown (https://captainsambrown.com/) has been endorsed by the Nevada Republican Party. He earned a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Masters in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University. He served in the U.S. Army. During a deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan, Brown was wounded in 2008 by an IED explosion. He received a purple heart and was medically retired from the Army as a captain in 2011. After retiring from the army, Brown and his wife started a small business providing critical services to veterans.
In an appearance on Politics Now on 8 News Now in February, Brown talked about the situation in Ukraine and his concerns about a repeat in Taiwan. He also talked about domestic policy on inflation and his thoughts on education.
Brown was a candidate for Texas House District 102 in 2014 before moving to Nevada in 2018. He describes his Nevada candidacy as grassroots, pointing to the thousands of Nevadans who have contributed to his campaign, while Laxalt has fewer — but larger — contributions.
Laxalt is the grandson of former Nevada Sen. Paul Laxalt and the son of former New Mexico Republican Sen. Pete Domenici. In addition to Trump’s endorsement, he has backing from Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He has campaigned with both leading up to the primary.
Laxalt has aligned himself with the nationally known Republican leaders and leveled criticism at President Joe Biden’s administration, but he did not support more spending in mid-May.
“President Trump and the GOP held Russia accountable through sanctions and diplomatic pressure and as a result, Russia did not invade Ukraine for the four years of his presidency,” Laxalt said in a statement to 8 News Now. “The weakness shown by the Biden administration invited Russia’s aggression. I have consistently supported sanctions against Russia and aid for Ukraine, but a massive additional $40 billion in spending is not the only way to halt Russian aggression, especially when it comes at the expense of our families back home.”
For more on the other candidates:
WILLIAM CONRAD: A retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, combat veteran (four tours in Afghanistan), Special Forces team leader (Green Beret), and a West Point graduate, Conrad has experience in local government and business.
BILL HOCKSTEDLER: Born in Virginia and raised by conservative parents; Bill Served in the Army and the Air Force for 12 years; followed by a successful career as a Business Development executive in Healthcare. “Bill lives and breathes the core Republican values on a daily basis and plans to devote his energy to securing and improving the lives of all Americans as your Senator.”
SHARELLE MENDENHALL: A former Miss California and Mrs. Nevada with a business background, Mendenhall “operates with decisiveness, integrity, and boldness. She understands how to conceptualize a plan and the value in effectively choosing the right people for each task to ensure ultimate success.” She is the CEO and founder of Elite Expo Talent Agency, creator of Mend-A-Nation and Allegentsia.
TYLER PERKINS (no website): Perkins filed his candidacy in Washoe County.
CARLO POLIAK: (no website): A frequent candidate in Nevada, he has run for U.S. House seats twice, U.S. Senate seats three times and once for Nevada governor.
PAUL RODRIGUEZ: A U.S. Air Force veteran, Rodriguez backs term limits for Congress and transparency.
Advocate for Congressional term limits and transparency. Rodriguez has lived in Nevada for 38 years and owns a small business. He says he is a fiscal conservative who believes in a limited federal government.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism