Major GOP backer urges Trump to drop Laxalt

A Las Vegas businessman with ties to Donald Trump wants the erstwhile president to power his endorsement successful the GOP superior for Nevada’s U.S. Senate race.

Don Ahern, a large protagonist of Republican causes, said helium has spoken with Trump aggregate times successful caller months and has encouraged the erstwhile president to alteration his endorsement from presumed frontrunner Adam Laxalt to underdog campaigner Sam Brown.

“I emotion Donald Trump and I judge erstwhile helium understands the spot of Sam Brown and the weakness of Adam Laxalt, I would anticipation that helium would alteration his enactment there,” Ahern said successful an interrogation with the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Nevada’s 2022 U.S. Senate contention is of nationalist value due to the fact that the result could plaything power of the evenly divided precocious chamber. The spot is held by U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., who is seeking reelection.

Trump steadfast successful his support

Trump endorsed Laxalt days aft the erstwhile Nevada lawyer wide announced his candidacy.

And helium isn’t budging.

In a connection to the Review-Journal connected Monday, the erstwhile president doubled down connected his support.

“I’ve known Adam Laxalt for a agelong clip and enactment him 100%,” Trump said.

Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich would not corroborate Ahern’s account, but said backstage conversations with the president should stay private.

He said Trump is all-in connected Laxalt successful the superior and wide elections adjacent year.

“Adam is the astir fashionable blimpish successful Nevada due to the fact that helium is simply a proven combatant who has stood alongside President Trump and helped beforehand his America First agenda,” Budowich said successful a substance message.

Laxalt’s run spokesman, John Burke, said successful a connection that Laxalt has been the blimpish person connected the beforehand lines from his clip arsenic lawyer wide done past year’s election.

He said Laxalt’s committedness to warring for idiosyncratic rights and liberties has landed him endorsements from salient blimpish figures similar Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

“Adam Laxalt volition proceed that combat erstwhile helium is elected to the U.S. Senate,” Burke said.

Trump loyalists

Ahern is an equipment-rental tycoon who owns respective companies, including a edifice successful Las Vegas. He and his companies person donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to candidates and governmental causes implicit the years.

He is the concern president of the Nevada Republican Party and a loyal Trump supporter. Last year, two of his companies faced fines for hosting Trump run events that defied state-imposed pandemic restrictions.

Laxalt, besides a Trump loyalist, was 1 of the nationalist faces successful the effort to overturn the results of the 2020 predetermination by promoting unfounded claims of wide elector fraud. He was Trump’s run co-chair successful Nevada astatine the time.

Ahern supported Laxalt successful the past, but said helium severed ties with him erstwhile Laxalt supported erstwhile Republican authorities Sen. Michael Roberson’s run for lieutenant politician successful the 2018 predetermination cycle.

“I dropped him similar a bomb,” Ahern said.

As authorities Senate bulk leader, Roberson supported a concern taxation passed by the Nevada Legislature successful 2015, a measurement that Ahern powerfully opposed.

Laxalt opposed the tax during his failed gubernatorial run successful 2018.

Ahern backs Brown

Ahern is taken by Brown’s idiosyncratic communicative arsenic a U.S. Military Academy-educated Army seasoned who was severely injured by a roadside weaponry successful Afghanistan.

In 2018, Brown moved to Nevada, wherever helium present runs a concern processing pharmacy claims for veterans.

He is simply a newcomer to Nevada politics, but raised much than $1 cardinal successful run contributions. Laxalt has raised much than $1.4 million.

Brown, a unpaid connected Trump’s run past year, said successful a connection that helium would invited the erstwhile president’s support.

“Nevada Republicans are acceptable for caller blimpish enactment that, similar Donald Trump, doesn’t travel from the governmental class,” helium said.

Contact Blake Apgar astatine bapgar@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar connected Twitter.