In the 2024 Nevada Senate election, Senator Jacky Rosen faces the re-election challenge from Sam Brown

Sen. Jacky Rosen and Republican challenger Sam Brown face off in Nevada as Democrats try to retain their seat after narrowly losing Majority in the Senate in the Election 2024.

Polls showed Rosen leading in the race, her first re-election bid, as Election Day approached. But the state has a history of struggling in the polls and was home to the closest Senate race in the country in 2022.

Republicans haven't won a Senate race in the Silver State since 2012, but they flipped the governor's mansion in the last election, suggesting the Senate seat could be in play in 2024.

Brown is a West Point graduate and combat veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart for his service in Afghanistan, where he suffered third-degree burns in a roadside bomb explosion. He later became a small business owner and became involved in border security and economic issues. Republicans poured money into advertising in the state in the final weeks of the campaign to boost Brown, while Democrats invested heavily in advertising – particularly on abortion.

Democrats have heavily criticized Brown over abortion throughout the campaign, as the issue has galvanized voters across the country since the Supreme Court decision overthrew Roe v. calf in 2022. Abortion is also on the ballot in Nevada this year, with a measure that would enshrine abortion as an individual right in the state constitution.

Aside from abortion, economic issues have also been particularly prominent in Nevada this cycle. With an economy based largely on tourism and hospitality surrounding Las Vegas, Nevada is home to a significant working-class population. The state's economy was hit hardest by pandemic-related shutdowns in 2020, leading to a much slower recovery than other states and fueling frustration with Democratic-led policies. Brown took up the issue during the campaign along with immigration – two issues on which Republicans have targeted the Biden-Harris administration's policies.

Still, for Rosen — a 67-year-old former computer programmer and synagogue president — the race appeared to be swinging in her favor after Vice President Kamala Harris began her presidential campaign. While President Biden had struggled to win support in the state, Harris' performance appeared to narrow the scope Democrats had to surpass the top of the candidate list. This dynamic was particularly pronounced in Nevada, the Cook Political Report found in an analysis, changing its rating from “Toss-up” to “Lean Democrat” in August.