Retired Army Capt. Sam Brown overcomes crowded GOP Senate primary field, setting up key Nevada race

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Republican Sam Brown overcame a crowded field of primary opponents to win Nevada’s GOP U.S. Senate primary Tuesday, setting up a fierce general election battle against incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen that could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate.

In a speech to supporters at a Reno watch party, Brown thanked his wife, Amy, their three young children and his parents. He described an America “at a crossroads,” where he said his children “have no voice” and “have no vote” in the country that they will inherit.

“Your dad is going to do everything he can to make sure that the American Dream that so many of us had an opportunity to take advantage of is there for you,” he said.

Brown, a retired Army captain making his second try in two years for the U.S. Senate, emerged from a field of 12 Republicans to challenge Rosen, a first-term moderate in a presidential battleground state and one of the GOP’s top targets in 2024. Democrats are defending far more Senate seats than Republicans this year as they look to maintain their narrow Senate majority.

Brown held a decisive fundraising edge throughout the campaign and received a late endorsement from former President Donald Trump on Sunday. His compelling personal story — Brown was nearly killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan and spent months in recovery — has been a cornerstone of his campaign.

Trump’s endorsement came as a hit to several opponents who had angled to align themselves with the former president, including Trump’s ambassador to Iceland, dermatologist Jeff Gunter.

When Brown launched his candidacy in Sparks, just outside of Reno, nearly a year ago, he recounted his military background and devotion to family and cast himself as an outsider fighting against “Rosen and her D.C. friends.”

Rosen, who overwhelmingly won her own primary against token opposition, criticized Brown in a statement Tuesday night as a “MAGA extremist who will say anything to get elected" as she warned of his “far-right agenda,” which she said includes banning abortion.

“I’ll stand up to anyone to get things done for our state," Rosen said, "but Brown will always put partisan politics and corporate special interests ahead of doing what’s right for Nevada.”

Abortion is expected to be a central issue in the general election campaign. Rosen has repeatedly referenced Brown’s support for Texas’ 20-week abortion ban while running for a seat in the Texas Legislature in 2014.

Earlier this year, Brown sat with his wife, Amy, as she revealed in an interview with NBC News that she had undergone an abortion in Texas before they met. Brown, backing off from his previously unequivocal anti-abortion rhetoric, said he opposed a federal abortion ban and believed the question should be left to the states.

Several of Brown’s Republican opponents had tried to turn the tables on him, chastising him for skipping debates and calling him the hand-picked establishment candidate. Those criticisms echoed Brown’s own messaging from two years ago, when he ran in the Republican primary against Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt. Laxalt defeated Brown in the primary but then lost to Democratic U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto by 8,000 votes, clinching the Senate majority for Democrats.

Brown was recruited by national Republicans looking to avoid a repeat of their lackluster showing in the 2022 midterms, when Democrats exceeded expectations and held their tenuous Senate majority.

In the victory speech, Brown attempted to link Rosen to the policies of President Joe Biden, a major theme of his 11-month campaign.

“Tonight, as we celebrate a victory, let’s talk about what happens because of tonight. Tomorrow begins the next stage of accountability. Accountability on Joe Biden and Jacky Rosen.”

He vowed to provide leadership to secure the borders, provide energy security, lower taxes and reform the judiciary.

Brown also recounted the explosion that nearly killed him in Afghanistan and the dozens of surgeries that followed, touting the leadership skills he learned in the Army and the Christian faith that sustained him through his recovery.

Trump’s endorsement Sunday — after nearly 100,000 Republicans had cast ballots during a two-week early-voting period — further boosted Brown. Trump repeatedly said he liked many of the candidates in the race and had teased the endorsement for weeks before choosing Brown.

Nevada voters braved blistering temperatures near or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Reno and Las Vegas as they cast ballots at school gymnasiums and other sites. In some spots, election workers set up fans to keep people cool.

Liz and Barry Barnes, 73 and 80, respectively, cast their ballots at Reno High School on Tuesday in support of Rosen and other Democrats.

The longtime Democrats said they liked Rosen’s opposition to the United States Postal Service’s plan to move key operations from Reno, among other issues. But they also had their sights set on the presidential election in November, when Nevada could play a decisive role in choosing between Biden and Trump.

“We’re scared of him winning,” Liz said of Trump. “We don’t want the country to go backwards.”

Also walking into the Reno High gymnasium was Dan Goldowski, 79, a retired pharmacist and Navy veteran who said he typically votes for Republicans or Libertarians and cast his vote for Brown.

He liked that Trump endorsed Brown, and “everything I read about (Brown’s opponents) was negative,” he said.

He’ll be voting for Trump in November.

“His private life doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “Everybody makes some mistakes, and he probably did, too.”

Associated Press writers Scott Sonner in Reno and Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed to this story.

Republican senatorial candidate Sam Brown speaks at an election night party Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)

Republican senatorial candidate Sam Brown, with his family, speaks at an primary election night party, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)

Supporters of Republican senatorial candidate Sam Brown follow primary election returns at his watch party Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)

Republican senatorial candidate Sam Brown speaks at an election night party Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)

Republican senatorial candidate Sam Brown is congratulated by supporters at his primary election night party, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)

Republican senatorial candidate Sam Brown speaks at an election night party Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)

Nevada Senate hopeful Sam Brown speaks to reporters outside Reno High School after casting his primary ballot, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Reno, Nev. The retired army captain hopes a late endorsement from former President Donald Trump will help carry him to victory in Nevada's GOP U.S. Senate primary and give him the momentum he needs in the general election to help Republicans flip a seat in the closely divided chamber. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner)

People vote in the Nevada primary at a polling place, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Poll workers help people vote in the Nevada primary at a polling place, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Sam Brown, and his wife, Amy, cast their ballots in Nevada's primary on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in a gymnasium at Reno High School in Reno, Nev. Election workers set up large fans to help cool voters as the temperature reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit outside. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner)

FILE - Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., rides an escalator to a vote on Capitol Hill, Sept. 6, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - Jim Marchant speaks at an event to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat in Nevada, May 2, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

FILE - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown speaks after filing his paperwork to run for the Senate, March 14, 2024, at the State Capitol in Carson City, Nev. (AP Photo/Andy Barron, File)

BANGKOK (AP) — The death toll from Myanmar's powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake keeps climbing amid rescue efforts.

The military government said Saturday that 1,644 people have been killed, with thousands of others injured and dozens missing.

The earthquake struck midday Friday, followed by several aftershocks, including one that measured 6.4.

In Thailand, the quake rocked the greater Bangkok area, leaving 10 people dead.

Several countries, including Malaysia, Russia and China have dispatched rescue and relief teams.

Here is the latest:

An initial situation report on earthquake relief efforts issued Saturday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that it's mobilizing with other groups, and $5 million has been allocated from a Central Emergency Response Fund for “life-saving assistance.”

“Supply infrastructure and communication towers were severely impacted, electricity and water services were disrupted, including in Yangon Region,” it noted. “Landline, mobile and internet networks remain unstable.”

The immediate planned measures include a convoy of 17 cargo trucks carrying critical shelter and medical supplies from China that is expected to arrive on Sunday, it said.

It noted the severe damage or destruction of many health facilities, and warned that a “severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anaesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines, and tents for health workers.”

Myanmar’s ruling military said on state television that the confirmed death toll from the 7.7 magnitude earthquake increased to 1,644.

The new total is a sharp rise compared to the 1,002 total announced just hours earlier. The number of injured increased to 3,408, while the missing figure rose to 139 from Friday's quake.

Russia has sent a medical team to Myanmar to care for earthquake victims, a Health Ministry official said.

According to Alexey Kuznetsov, the medics include specialists in infectious diseases, resuscitation and traumatology.

Separately, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said that two planes carrying Russian rescue workers have landed in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon.

Earlier, the ministry reported that a mission, including search and rescue teams, canine units, anaesthesiologists and psychologists, was on its way to the disaster-stricken country.

The ministry said that its rescue teams are equipped with “endoscopes and acoustic devices for searching for people in rubble up to 4.5 meters (nearly 15 feet) deep, as well as ground-penetrating radars and thermal imagers.”

Hong Kong sent a group of 51 search-and-rescue personnel to help with earthquake relief efforts in Myanmar. The group includes firefighters and ambulance personnel as well as two search-and-rescue dogs, among others.

The group brings along nine tons (18,000 pounds) of equipment including life detectors and masonry cutting machines, as well as an automatic satellite tracking antenna system that provides network connection, according to a statement on the Hong Kong government’s website.

Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press show the earthquake toppled the air traffic control tower at Naypyitaw International Airport.

The photos taken Saturday show the tower toppled over as if sheered from its base. Debris lay scattered from the top of the tower, which controlled all air traffic in the capital of Myanmar.

It wasn’t immediately clear if there had been any injuries in the collapse, though the tower would have had staff inside of it at the time of the earthquake Friday. It likely also stopped air traffic into the international airport, given all electronics and radar would have been routed into the tower for controllers.

Flights carrying rescue teams from China have landed at the airport in Yangon instead of going directly to the airports in the major stricken cities of Mandalay and Naypyitaw.

A spokesperson for the China International Development Cooperation Agency said that Beijing will provide Myanmar with 100 million yuan ($13.8 million) in emergency humanitarian aid for earthquake relief efforts.

An additional rescue team of 82 people left Bejing, hours after a different team of emergency responders from the Chinese province of Yunnan, bordering Myanmar, arrived in the earthquake-stricken country.

Additionally, 16 members of the Chinese civil relief squad Blue Sky Rescue Team in the city of Ruili, Yunnan, departed to Muse City in northern Myanmar to help with relief efforts, according to state broadcaster CGTN. Chinese authorities also sent a first batch of 80 tents and 290 blankets.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping extended condolences to Myanmar’s leader Min Aung Hlaing.

The earthquake was felt in parts of China's Yunnan province, though casualties were limited. Two people in Ruili suffered minor injuries and 847 homes were damaged, according to authorities. Some high-rise buildings and older houses in urban areas were also partially damaged, but power and water supplies and transportation and communications lines have been restored.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters says that his government will support relief efforts “via the International Red Cross Movement."

“Our thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones, and to everyone else affected,” Peters posted on X.

South Korea will send the aid through international organizations to support recovery efforts following the recent earthquake.

The Foreign Ministry stated on Saturday that Seoul will closely monitor the situation and consider additional support if needed.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese rescuers arrive at the Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar on Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Haymhan Aung/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo taken from video released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, March 29, 2025, Russian Emergency Ministry employees gather to board one of two planes with rescuers to Myanmar following Friday's earthquake, from a Moscow airfield, Russia. (Russia Emergency Ministry press service via AP)

Rescuers walk past the ruin of a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after a strong earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

People stand near a damaged construction site of a high-rise building in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, March 29, 2025, as rescuers search for victims following its collapse after Friday's earthquake. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Rescuers search for victims at the site of a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after a strong earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, early Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Rescue workers help an injured women who was trapped under a building Friday, March 28, 2025, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

In this image provided by The Myanmar Military True News Information Team, Myanmar's military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, center, inspects damaged road caused by an earthquake Friday, March 28, 2025, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. (The Myanmar Military True News Information Team via AP)

Rescuers search for victims at the site of a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after a strong earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, early Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Patients are evacuated outdoors at a hospital after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Tadchakorn Kitchaiphon)

Rescue workers take an injured man who was trapped under a building Friday, March 28, 2025, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

People wait at the damaged construction site of a high-rise building in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, March 29, 2025, as rescuers search for victims following its collapse after an earthquake. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Relatives of workers of a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after a strong earthquake wait as rescuers search for victims, in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Rescuers work at the site a high-rise building under construction that collapsed after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, early Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Volunteers look for survivors near a damaged building Friday, March 28, 2025, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

In this image provided by The Myanmar Military True News Information Team, victims caused by an earthquake is seen compound of government hospital Friday, March 28, 2025, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. (The Myanmar Military True News Information Team via AP)