Republican Sam Brown can’t stop flip-flopping on abortion rights

Republican Sam Brown of Nevada pledged to vote against a federal abortion ban if he’s elected to the U.S Senate. This stance contradicts a decade-long record of Brown backing restrictive abortion bans with no exceptions.

Brown made the pledge in a June 30 op-ed for the Las Vegas Sun. His article references a 1990 vote Nevadans made to protect abortion access through 24 weeks of pregnancy. This law would be nullified if a federal ban were enacted.

“The people of Nevada have made their choice, and I will stand by it,” Brown wrote. “That’s what a true representative of the people does. Furthermore, I have been consistently on the record pledging that I will not support any federal abortion ban. I have gone so far as to break with the Republican Party and tell my future Senate colleagues that I will vote against any abortion ban if federal legislation is brought forward. I will keep that promise.”

Brown states in the piece that he is “pro-life” but supports “exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.”

Brown had a different opinion in 2014 when he was running for a state legislature seat in Texas. A year earlier, the state had passed a 20 week abortion ban that included no exceptions for rape or incest and put onerous restrictions on which doctors could perform abortions. The law was facing legal challenges during Brown’s campaign. In a candidate forum, Brown backed the ban and said his position was “nonnegotiable.” 

“On issues of life, that is a nonnegotiable for me, we’ve got to do everything we can to empower our state, make sure that it stays on the books,” Brown said.

In 2016, the Supreme Court struck down the Texas ban. 

In 2018, according to a report from the Nevada Current, Brown managed the campaign of Sam Deen, a Texas congressional candidate. Deen described himself as “100% Pro Life, no exceptions” on social media.

Brown moved to Nevada in 2018.

More recently, Brown has been associated with the Faith and Freedom Coalition, an extremist anti-abortion group. Brown led the Nevada chapter of the Faith and Freedom Coalition between 2022 and 2023. Brown’s campaign claims he was not compensated for this work.

The Faith and Freedom Coalition’s website clearly states their goal as it pertains to abortion access.

“Now that the power to regulate abortion has been returned to elected officials, Faith & Freedom is working diligently to protect life by working with elected leaders in Washington, DC and in State Capitols throughout the country to enact pro-life laws and executive action that protects women and their unborn children,” the site states.

Lance Lemmonds, the former communications director for the Faith and Freedom Coalition, is now leading a pro-Brown super PAC called Duty First Nevada.

Brown’s current campaign website also features anti-abortion language. The site reiterates his pledge to not support a federal abortion ban, while simultaneously pledging to support other restrictions to abortion access.

“I will oppose any bill that pushes for federal funding of abortion, late term abortions, or abortion without parental notification,” the site states. “And I will support federal judges who understand the importance of protecting life.”

Brown secured the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen last month. An initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the Nevada state constitution will appear on the same ballot.

A 2023 poll from the Nevada Independent found 69% of Nevada voters support abortion access.

A Brown spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment for this story.