2024 election: Senate candidates go toe-to-toe in debate

Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen and GOP Senate candidate Sam Brown went face-to-face Thursday night, just two days until early voting begins and less than three weeks before Election Day, discussing the biggest topics — from solutions to the housing crisis to support for Israel.

The debate, conducted by 8 News Now, comes at a time when Brown, a former Army captain and Purple Heart recipient, fights to close the gap between himself and the sitting Democratic senator in the polls, which consistently show her an average of 8.5 percentage points ahead — though still with a chance for Brown to win over undecided voters. An Emerson College poll from October, for instance, showed 50 percent support for Rosen and 42 percent for Brown, with 5 percent still undecided.

Here are some of the biggest topics discussed, and what the candidates had to say about them:

Economy

Rosen highlighted her HOME Act bill that aims to crack down on price gouging, as well as her efforts to bring $500 million to the Home Means Nevada program. She also said she has been working with the Federal Trade Commission to hold Kroger and Albertsons accountable for price gouging.

Brown discussed his energy policy and said his plan is to prioritize “cheaper, more efficient and reliable energy supplies that’s going to drive down the cost of everything,” though he did not offer specifics. He also said he plans to reduce regulations.

The candidates also discussed former President Donald Trump’s “no tax on tips policy,” which political candidates on both sides of the aisle have endorsed. Brown said thousands of Nevada workers would benefit from it, but added another Trump-campaign promise of eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits.

Rosen said subminimum wages also need to be addressed — a policy proposal pushed by Vice President Kamala Harris that would not impact workers in Nevada, where there is no subminimum wage. She also said guardrails need to be implemented on companies so they can’t take advantage of the “no tax on tips” plan by not paying their workers as much.

Housing

Rosen said Congress must fight against price gouging and corporate investors and introduce more lands bills to responsibly release federal land. Brown said he wants to get rid of the “expensive auctioning process” where lots go to the highest bidder.

The veteran also took shots at his opponent, saying she visited the border only once in the six years she has served in the Senate and asking her why her Washoe County lands bill only included 35 acres for affordable housing.

Rosen retorted the details of the bill, which she said was supported by the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce. Thousands were set aside for conservation and tribal communities, and over 15,000 acres were set aside for housing, churches, parks and schools, she said.

Israel

Both candidates emphasized their support for Israel and did not clearly answer whether there is a line Israel could cross to lose the candidates’ support. Brown said Israel has a right to defend itself, but noted that the United States should not inject itself in decision-making processes and allow Israel to “take care of its own business.”

“We do not need to be drawing red lines on what Israel can or cannot do or how we will support Israel,” Brown said.

Rosen discussed her efforts to support Israel, saying it also has a right to defend itself, and said the U.S. has a responsibility to stand up to terrorists around the world.

“(Israel) does have a responsibility to be sure that the humanitarian aid gets in, and it does have a responsibility with all of us, to bring back those 101 hostages that have been there for over a year,” she said.

Water

On water, Rosen said she would demand that every community invests in water-smart infrastructure, and Brown said he would demand that California be more responsible with its water use.

“They’re not entitled to a permanent large share of this water when Nevada has led the way on conservation,” he said.

Immigration

Moderators asked Brown if mass deportations, a proposal from Trump’s campaign, is a solution for the migrant crisis. Brown called it a “very big logistical undertaking,” but he said the solution starts with closing the border and then deporting criminals.

Rosen said she would support the Border Protection Act, the bipartisan immigration reform package that was blocked earlier this year. She said the border must be secured, and Congress must also address pathways to citizenship.

Abortion

Brown reiterated his position on a national abortion ban, pledging he would not vote for any national abortion ban and saying he stands by Nevada’s law protecting abortion.

“I think we need to refocus on supporting women,” he said.

Rosen said she supports restoring Roe v. Wade and highlighted her opponent’s previous anti-abortion statements. Answering a question on whether there are any abortion limits she supports, Rosen said complications late in pregnancies are tragic, horrific and rare, and that politicians should not be in the doctor’s room with the patients.

Ending filibuster

The candidates highlighted their differences on proposals to ending the filibuster. Brown said there is no scenario in which he’d support ending it, while Rosen said she supports reforms to the filibuster “that help make us less stuck in the Senate.”

“There are ways that we can reform the filibuster that make it work for everyone, so that no one on an extreme side, on either side, can use it as a weapon, and we can continue to pass bills,” Rosen said.

UNR and trans athletes

With UNR making headlines as its women’s volleyball team voted not to play in a game against a team with a transgender player, moderators asked which rights trans athletes have when competing in women’s sports.

“All student-athletes deserve to have a fair competition and a level playing field,” Rosen said. “So, I support parents, coaches and the governing leagues. They are the governing bodies. They are the experts. I believe that they are the right ones to make these decisions, not politicians.”

Brown said he would not support “biological males playing in women’s sports.”

“It’s saddening when these young women are having to take a courageous stand and our politicians can’t even say that they have enough expertise to be able to weigh in on this issue,” he said.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.