Adam Laxalt wins Republican nomination for Nevada Senate

Adam Laxalt won the Republican nomination Tuesday for a pivotal Nevada Senate seat, fending off a challenge from a political newcomer and setting up a fierce November contest to topple incumbent Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto in a race that could swing power in the U.S. Senate.

Adam Laxalt won the Republican nomination Tuesday for a pivotal Nevada Senate seat, fending off a challenge from a political newcomer and setting up a fierce November contest to topple incumbent Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto in a race that could swing power in the U.S. Senate. Laxalt is a former Nevada attorney general who had the backing of former President Donald Trump and the GOP establishment. But challenger Sam Brown harnessed support with the party's grassroots and forced Laxalt to spend heavily and bring in Trump-world figures for 11th-hour barnstorming to lock up the primary.

He now sets his sights on a November race against Cortez Masto in what's expected to be one of the Republican Party's best chances to flip a seat in the 50-50 Senate this fall. Cortez Masto, the successor of the late Sen. Harry Reid, is making her first reelection campaign in the swing state as Democrats brace for political headwinds.