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The Republican super PAC is making its final attempt to decide the Nevada Senate race

The Republican super PAC is making its final attempt to decide the Nevada Senate race

Republicans are making a final attempt to flip Nevada's Senate seat amid optimism that a strong performance in the state by former President Donald Trump could give Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown a boost.

The Senate Leadership Fund, the main GOP super PAC involved in Senate races, plans to spend $6.2 million on TV, radio and digital advertising in Nevada, ad spending figures revealed first NBC News was informed.

It is the group's first outing in the state and marks a relatively late entry into the contest, which has so far been marked by a split between a closely contested presidential race and a more comfortable position for Rosen in public polls. The SLF has spent tens of millions of dollars on other Senate battlegrounds in recent months. It's a sign that Republicans view Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen's re-election race as increasingly competitive.

“Jacky Rosen has been a reliable voter for the Democrats’ extreme agenda and is a lackluster candidate,” SLF President and CEO Steven Law said in a statement. “President Trump is doing very well in Nevada and we believe Sam Brown can too.”

Nevada Republicans believe the state's economic woes and a rightward shift among Latino voters are important to the GOP. Nevada is known for close races: President Joe Biden won Nevada by just two points in 2020 and Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won re-election in 2022 by fewer than 8,000 votes.

“It could be the best environment Republicans have seen in a presidential year in 20 years,” Nevada GOP strategist Jeremy Hughes recently told NBC News.

But Brown, an Army veteran, is trailing Trump in public polls, and some Republicans have expressed concerns that they could miss an opportunity to flip the Senate seat.

A recent AARP poll showed Trump leading Harris by 2 points among likely voters in Nevada (49% to 47%), within the poll's margin of error of 4 points. However, the same poll showed Rosen leading Brown by five points, 49% to 44%.

Rosen and her Democratic allies have long overtaken Republicans on the radio. Since Labor Day, Democrats have spent a total of $38.3 million on advertising in Nevada, while Republicans have spent $27.6 million. However, Brown's campaign, with support from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, increased its spending this month, according to ad spending tracker AdImpact.

The Senate Leadership Fund has so far focused much of its resources on Montana and Ohio, two of the best opportunities for the party to take control of the Senate. The group has also increased spending in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nebraska.

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