Sam Brown’s allies push far-right agenda, spotlight abortion rights in candidate survey

A group with ties to Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown is distributing a questionnaire to political candidates. The questions offer a glimpse of the group’s far-right agenda.

Brown, a Republican, is challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen. He has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

Brown first ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022 but didn’t make it past the Republican primary. After the campaign, he became president of the Nevada Faith & Freedom Coalition, the state branch of the national Faith & Freedom Coalition. The group promotes policies aligned with an evangelical Christian worldview, including support for abortion bans and opposition to LGBTQ rights.

The questionnaire is intended to evaluate how aligned candidates are with the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s mission. Each question makes a political statement and asks the candidates to circle “support” or “oppose.” The group’s endorsements and financial support will likely depend on the candidates’ responses.

Eight questions are focused on reproductive rights. Candidates are asked if they would support legislation banning abortion and if they agree with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Another question asks if minors should be required to get parental consent in order to obtain an abortion. 

The Faith & Coalition’s website explicitly states that they will pressure lawmakers to support new restrictions on abortion.

“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.

Candidates are also asked if they would support a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman and if they believe that the Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriage was wrongly decided. Another question asks if lessons on sexual orientation should be banned from public elementary schools.

Polling suggests that the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s goals are out of step with what most Nevadans want. A Nevada Independent poll from 2021 found that 69% of Nevada voters describe themselves as pro-choice. In 2020, 62% of Nevadans voted in support of a state constitutional amendment codifying marriage equality.

Brown has seemingly tried to distance himself from the Faith & Freedom Coalition since launching his current campaign. He did not include his work with the organization on his personal financial disclosure forms. 

When the Las Vegas Sun reported on the omission, Brown claimed he was not compensated for the work. Senate rules, however, require candidates to report all official positions held, both compensated and uncompensated, in the two years preceding their candidacy. 

In 2022, Brown described his work for the Faith & Freedom coalition as a “passion project.”

Brown has pledged to not support a federal abortion ban if elected to the U.S. Senate. This stance contradicts his previous positions. In 2014, he backed 20-week abortion ban that included no exceptions for rape or incest and put onerous restrictions on which doctors could perform abortions. In 2018, Brown managed the campaign of a Texas congressional candidate who described himself on social media as “100% pro-life, no exceptions.”

Brown moved to Nevada in 2018.

A Trafalgar Group poll from September showed Rosen leading Brown 48% to 40%.