LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Former President Donald Trump kept Sam Brown waiting until nearly the very end.
Brown, the former U.S. Army captain and two-time candidate for office, is now the front-runner in the race for U.S. Senate. If he bests a field of 11 other candidates on Tuesday, he will earn the right to face Democratic incumbent Jacky Rosen.
But Trump made him wait for months for an endorsement, even as the ex-president was giving his backing to at least six other U.S. Senate candidates around the country.
All eyes were on Trump on Sunday, as he spoke before a big crowd at Sunset Park but the former president only mentioned Brown once and in passing.
WATCH: Former President Donald Trump draws thousands to sunny Sunset Park
But then, six hours after the rally ended, Trump sent a pair of posts to his Truth Social website, calling Brown a "fearless American patriot" with "true grit" and offering his "Complete and Total Endorsement."
Although more than 234,000 people had already cast their ballots by the time of Trump's posts, Brown says the endorsement will still help him win Tuesday's primary, where he faces Trump's former ambassador to Iceland, Dr. Jeff Gunter, and two former members of the Nevada Assembly.
"The incredible thing about President Trump is he knows how to deliver," Brown said in a brief interview Monday. "And I'd say that having his endorsement is something that any candidate would want.
"But I appreciate having the president's support and, if anything, having his support announced the way it was just helped bring even more attention to this race," Brown added.
Brown said Trump's margin in the polls would help him in his race in Nevada, which he said will focus on the economy and immigration.
"I'd be the same kind of senator that I was as [a] leader for troops in combat or a businessman taking care of customers," Brown said. "I'm there to help people. Right now, at a time when so many people are losing hope, people are concerned about whether they can keep a roof over their head, food on the table. I will be the sort of senator that works to help all Nevadans, all Americans, not just those who are registered to the same political party as me," Brown said.
WATCH: How we got here: Former President Trump endorses Sam Brown for U.S. Senate
Channel 13 requested an interview with Rosen, but her staff said her Senate schedule didn't allow for a Zoom interview. A state Democratic party representative was similarly unavailable.
But a statement from Rosen for Nevada, spokeswoman Johanna Warshaw reads, "Jacky Rosen has been ranked one of the most bipartisan and effective senators in the nation because of her proven record of political independence and working across party lines to deliver for Nevada."
To be sure, Rosen has stressed those bona fides in her campaign television advertisements thus far in the race.
The Lugar Center at Georgetown University ranks Rosen as the ninth most bipartisan senator on its index of lawmakers. (Fellow Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto comes in at No. 34.) Roll Call ranks Rosen as the third most likely senator to break ranks with her own party and the Center for Effective Lawmaking ranks Nevada's senators in the top 10 most effective, with Cortez Masto third and Rosen seventh.
