RENO, Nev. (AP) — Seven Republicans running for a U.S. Senate seat representing Nevada are participating in their first primary debate Thursday. Notably absent will be the front-runner, a favorite of the national party who has far outpaced the others in fundraising.

Retired Army Capt. Sam Brown says his decision to skip the event in Reno reflects his comfortable lead. It’s a strategy that other front-runners in races elsewhere have adopted: not engaging with their rivals.

Instead the debate will feature lesser-known candidates, among them Jim Marchant, a former candidate for Nevada secretary of state and outspoken election denier; Tony Grady, an Air Force veteran and former candidate for lieutenant governor; and Stephanie Phillips, a real estate broker. Former U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Jeff Gunter recently backed out of the debate..

They are hoping to win the nod to face off in the general election against Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, a first-term moderate in the presidential battleground state and one of Republicans’ top targets this year. Democrats, who hold a 51-49 advantage in the Senate, are defending 23 seats this cycle.

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Brown, a Purple Heart recipient, was heavily recruited by Republicans in Washington looking to avoid a repeat of their lackluster showing in the 2022 midterms, when flawed GOP candidates helped Democrats hold on to the Senate majority. He was quickly supported by the National Republican Senatorial Committee after announcing his campaign.

Asked why he is skipping the debate, Brown’s campaign described the primary race as all but settled five months ahead of the June primary.

“The numbers say it all: Sam Brown is the only candidate in this race with the resources, support and grassroots energy to take on Jacky Rosen,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Nevada Republicans are uniting behind Donald Trump and Sam Brown because they are the only conservative champions who can defeat Biden and Rosen in November.”

The debate is hosted by Redmove Nevada, a conservative group that was co-founded by candidate Bill Conrad, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former deputy mayor of Modesto, California, who will participate in the debate. Ray Rocha, another co-founder, said Conrad helped set up the livestream but wasn’t given advance notice of the questions.

Two years ago while running in a Senate primary against Adam Laxalt, Brown criticized his front-running rival for agreeing to a prerecorded debate but not a live, prime-time broadcast.

“He must feel safe at 8 a.m., on a Monday morning, in a closed studio, where working class Nevadans can’t challenge him,” Brown said then.

Laxalt, who was backed by top Republicans from former President Donald Trump to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, won that primary handily but lost narrowly in the general election to Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto.

For this year’s race, Rosen has out-fundraised Brown by far, reporting $3.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared with $1.85 million for Brown.

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Stern is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a program that places journalists in local newsrooms. Follow Stern on X, formerly Twitter: @gabestern326.