After Leading in Polls For the Entire Campaign, Dems Worry About Jackie Rosen's Early Data in Nevada Senate Race

A poll by CNN/SSRS released last Tuesday showed Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen with a comfortable lead in her reelection bid against Republican challenger Sam Brown, getting 50% of the support compared to the Republican's 41% among likely voters in the swing state of Nevada. The incumbent even managed to score a 15-point lead as recently as mid-October.

However, Axios reported that Republicans have cast 45,000 more early votes than Democrats in the state so far, creating the fear of a surprise loss in the state, which would almost certainly mean that Democrats would lose their majority in the Senate next year. Nevada has robust early and mail-in ballot voting with 42% of voters claiming they had already voted one week before election day, according to the aforementioned survey.

The outlet explained that "a motivated GOP base in the state" seems to be behind the surprising rise, with challenger Brown doing his best to tie himself to former president Trump to conquer the now-heavily disputed seat:

"A PAC linked to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) recently blitzed the state with over $6 million in new ads, with one commercial saying: 'President Trump and Nevada need Sam Brown in the Senate."

Brown, a retired army captain who earned a Purple Heart after being wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, was recruited in this campaign cycle after an unsuccessful attempt to take the party's candidacy for the other Senate seat in 2022. Rosen, a computer programmer who currently serves on committees such as armed services and homeland security, was first elected to the Senate in 2018

As Election day looms, Nevada continues to be one of the biggest prizes up for grabs and tensions in the state have been on the rise. On Saturday, Washoe County installed panic buttons in all voting sites for the first time ever in case election workers are threatened with violence. Last year, the Nevada Legislature last year increased penalties for interfering with election officials, including a ban on "electioneering," wearing a shirt or hat for or against a particular candidate within 100 feet of where people vote.