{"id":2221084,"date":"2024-04-15T05:44:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T09:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sam-brown-opponent-painted-as-maga-phony-in-high-stakes-nevada-senate-race\/"},"modified":"2024-04-15T05:46:03","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T09:46:03","slug":"sam-brown-opponent-painted-as-maga-phony-in-high-stakes-nevada-senate-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sam-brown-opponent-painted-as-maga-phony-in-high-stakes-nevada-senate-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Brown&#8217;s rival portrayed as insincere MAGA supporter in crucial Nevada Senate competition"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsam-brown-opponent-painted-as-maga-phony-in-high-stakes-nevada-senate-race%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2221084&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Jeff Gunter, vying for the Nevada Senate seat, emphasizes his \u200cMAGA ties but faces scrutiny over \u2062his past as a Democrat in California. \u2064His donation history,\u200d voting record, \u2064and loyalty to Trump are under fire from opponents. The race \u200cintensifies as\u200d the June primary approaches, with allegiances to Trump playing a crucial role in shaping the narrative. Jeff Gunter&#8217;s bid for \u200cthe Nevada Senate seat highlights his MAGA \u200cconnections but draws attention to his Democratic\u2064 past\u2062 in California. Critics scrutinize his donation history,\u200c voting \u2064behavior, and\u2062 loyalty to Trump.\u200b With the primary nearing, the focus\u2063 on Trump allegiances shapes the heated contest.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Jeff Gunter has leaned on his MAGA credentials as he mounts a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-to-vote-on-d-c-statehood-bill\/\" title=\"House to vote on D.C. statehood bill\">long-shot bid<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nevada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Nevada\u2019s<\/a> Democrat-held Senate seat, highlighting his time spent as ambassador to Iceland under former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s another part of Gunter\u2019s background that is coming under scrutiny from a coalition of Trump allies and national Republicans who want to see front-runner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sam-brown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Sam Brown<\/a> prevail in the June primary: a voting and donation history they say contradicts his attempts to carry the MAGA mantle in the race.<\/p>\n<p>Gunter, who runs a dermatology practice in the Los Angeles area, has for years been registered as a Democrat in California, according to voting records reviewed by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Those records have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2023\/08\/14\/jeffrey-gunter-trump-ambassador-nevada-00110865\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>dogged<\/a> Gunter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/trump-ambassador-jeffrey-gunter-wants-to-run-for-nevada-senate-on-his-record-of-retweets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>even before<\/a> he launched his candidacy in August, providing his critics an opening to paint him as an out-of-state elite and fake conservative. He registered in Nevada as a Republican in 2021, six months before his latest California registration, but has acknowledged he at one time <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/former-trump-official-shakes-up-crucial-battleground-senate-race-major-announcement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>considered himself a Democrat<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, Republicans often accuse their opponents of being California liberals, but this is one time when it\u2019s actually true,\u201d said one Trump-aligned operative not involved in the Nevada Senate race.<\/p>\n<p>The line of attack belies his history as a prolific GOP donor, and the Gunter campaign notes his long tenure on the board of the Republican Jewish Coalition. He began his California dermatology practice in the 1990s but has operated offices in Nevada for years.<\/p>\n<p>But that donation history, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/individual-contributions\/?contributor_name=+Jeffrey+Gunter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>stretches back<\/a> two decades, also shows Gunter has given to some of Trump\u2019s biggest Republican foes, among them former Rep. Liz Cheney and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who voted to impeach, and in the case of Collins convict, the former president following the Capitol riot.<\/p>\n<p>He donated to Cheney in 2016 and Collins in three separate cycles \u2014 2008, 2014, and 2020 \u2014 according to Federal Election Commission records.<\/p>\n<p>Gunter\u2019s opponents have attempted to weaponize those donations, plus his lack of voting record in 2020, to frame him as disloyal to Trump. Gunter voted in the Nevada primary in February but before that had not cast a ballot since 2018, according to voting records obtained by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJeff Gunter embarrassed President Trump with his clownish actions as ambassador, didn\u2019t vote for Trump in 2020, and even donated to Liz Cheney. This guy can\u2019t be trusted,\u201d said one national GOP strategist who works on Senate races.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stateoig.gov\/uploads\/report\/report_pdf_file\/isp-i-22-02_7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2021 State Department report<\/a> found Gunter had created a \u201cthreatening and intimidating environment\u201d during his stint as ambassador.<\/p>\n<p>Erica Knight, a campaign spokeswoman, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-negotiated-a-secret-arrangement-with-the-taliban-to-help-get-some-americans-to-kabul-airport-report\/\" title=\"U.S. \u2018Negotiated A Secret Arrangement With The Taliban\u2019 To Help Get Some Americans To Kabul Airport: Report\">forcefully pushed back<\/a> on the idea that Gunter is anti-Trump. \u201cHe was one of President Trump\u2019s biggest advocates in both 2016 and 2020 and has never supported Democrats,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Gunter\u2019s donation history includes $200,000 he gave to the Trump Victory PAC and Trump Inaugural Committee.<\/p>\n<p>Knight further alleged that Gunter voted for Trump by mail in 2020 while performing his duties in Iceland, alluding to unfounded claims of fraud in addressing the lack of voting record.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is not surprising that a vote for Trump was \u2018lost,\u2019\u201d she said, adding that his February vote in Nevada was cast for Trump.<\/p>\n<p>The decided focus on Gunter\u2019s loyalty to Trump underscores the former president\u2019s continued sway with Republican voters, in Nevada and nationally, as he runs for a second term in the White House. But it also suggests an attempt by Brown\u2019s allies to flip the script on what, until this point, has been Gunter\u2019s narrative about Brown: that he is a Never Trumper.<\/p>\n<p>Brown, a retired U.S. Army captain who mounted an unsuccessful run for Senate in 2022, is supported by Republicans in congressional leadership, including Steve Daines (R-MT), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Meanwhile, Trumpworld is divided over the race.<\/p>\n<p>Brown was an open Trump supporter in 2020, door-knocking for his campaign, and even critiqued his 2022 rival, Adam Laxalt, for not <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-donald-trump-campaigns-reno-707ee64379531d41cdaacb0b76823e56\">doing more<\/a> to challenge President Joe Biden\u2019s election win. <\/p>\n<p>But his endorsement of Trump this go around, which came in January, months later than his opponents, opened him up to questions over his continued allegiance to the former president. <\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>FILE \u2013 Nevada Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown speaks to media after voting at Reno High School in Reno, Nevada, June 14, 2022. (AP Photo\/Tom R. Smedes, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gunter calls him \u201cScam Brown\u201d and has, in an attempt to take the outsider lane in the race, accused him of being a puppet of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who attended a Washington, D.C., fundraiser for Brown in December.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell, who has faced bitter personal attacks from Trump, fell out with the former president over the Jan. 6 riot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSam Brown is backed by Trump-haters like Mitch McConnell and the Ukraine First caucus inside the DC swamp. Sam fits the mold of career politician, except he\u2019s never actually won a race,\u201d Knight said. \u201cThe choice for Nevada voters could not be any clearer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A second Trump-aligned operative noted that Gunter has repeatedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/individual-contributions\/?contributor_name=+Jeffrey+Gunter\">donated<\/a> to McConnell\u2019s reelection committees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think Gunter is going to be able to successfully paint his opponents as the establishment pick when he helped fund the establishment,\u201d the operative, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said.<\/p>\n<p>The battle over fealty to Trump comes at a critical time in the race. There are just eight weeks until the June 11 primary, and the former president has yet to issue an endorsement that could prove decisive.<\/p>\n<p>He <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/112258817613105061\">posted a graphic<\/a> on Truth Social Friday suggesting that a Trump-Brown ticket in Nevada is the path to victory in November but has not offered his formal support. <\/p>\n<p>Brown made a trip to Mar-Lago the other week to ask for his endorsement, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/04\/09\/politics\/nevada-senate-republican-primary-trump\/index.html\">according to<\/a> CNN. The trip follows a pilgrimage Gunter made in March, in which he held a fundraiser at the property attended by Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Gunter is not the only Republican challenging Brown for the Republican nomination. In fact, his nearest competitor appears to be Jim Marchant, a Trump ally who lost last year\u2019s race for Nevada secretary of state.<\/p>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/2024-election\/2024\/04\/11\/exclusive-poll-sam-brown-towers-nevadas-gop-senate-primary-field-would-surge-further-trump-endorsement\/\">internal poll<\/a> released by the Brown campaign on Thursday shows Brown with 58% support to Marchant\u2019s 6. Gunter is tied for third at 3%.<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, Gunter raised eyebrows with a $3.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-super-pac-makes-3-million-ad-buy-attacking-ron-desantis\/\" title=\"Trump Super-PAC Makes  Million Ad Buy Attacking Ron DeSantis\">3 million ad buy<\/a> he announced earlier this month. He <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AdImpact_Pol\/status\/1778793050447184157\">reserved<\/a> the first $654,000 on Thursday, airing a TV ad that leans into his ambassadorship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen the stakes were high, Trump chose Gunter to represent the USA,\u201d the 30-second spot declares.<\/p>\n<p>He also counts hard-right Trump supporters, including Laura Loomer and Roger Stone, in his corner. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/tabitha_mueller\/status\/1776029148823339474\">attended an event<\/a> for Gunter earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>Already, Democrats are seizing on the attempts by Brown and his opponents to curry favor with the former president, framing them as \u201cMAGA extremists\u201d who would attempt to roll back abortion access nationally if elected to the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>The winner of the primary will face Democrat Jacky Rosen, a one-term senator who consistently leads the polls but <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/polls\/senate\/2024\/nevada\/\">fares the worst<\/a> against Brown.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Brown\u2019s allies have cited that polling in urging Gunter to drop out, fearing the bitter primary could hurt Republicans\u2019 chances in a race that political handicappers rate a \u201ctoss-up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are running out of clock here, and it\u2019s election season,\u201d said the second Trumpworld operative. \u201cWe\u2019d like to coalesce behind somebody sooner than later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Gabe Kaminsky contributed to this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jeff Gunter emphasizes his MAGA ties in his unlikely campaign for Nevada&#8217;s Democratic Senate position, citing his tenure as ambassador to Iceland during Donald Trump&#8217;s presidency. However, scrutiny from Trump&#8217;s supporters and national Republicans is now focused on another aspect of Gunter&#8217;s past<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2221085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24019030298790-1024x592.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2221084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24019030298790-1024x592.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2221084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2221084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2221084\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2221085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2221084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2221084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2221084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}