By Josephine Walker

WASHINGTON Republican U.S. Army combat veteran Sam Brown on Monday launched a run for his party's nomination to challenge Nevada Democratic U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen in 2024.

Rosen's is one of about eight competitive Senate seats that Democrats will need to defend next year if they are to hold their narrow 51-49 majority in the chamber.

Brown placed second in Nevada's Republican Senate primary last year with 34% of the vote, losing to former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt. Laxalt, a proponent of former President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud, ultimately lost to Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto by less than one percentage point.

Brown, who was severely burned by an explosion in Afghanistan, is part of a Republican strategy of recruiting military veterans to seek election to congressional offices.

"In the military, no one asks you what party you're in," Brown said on Twitter. "They just want to know that they can count on you to fight alongside them."

Senator Steve Daines, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, welcomed Brown into the race in a statement saying, "Sam Brown’s life of service and sacrifice is an inspiration to all Americans. I am very pleased that Sam is stepping up to run for the U.S. Senate."

Since leaving the military, Brown has launched a business providing medical support to veterans, according to his campaign website.

Democrats face potentially tough races in several other states next year, including Montana, West Virginia and Arizona - now represented by independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema who left the Democratic Party late last year.

Brown's rivals for the Republican nomination include former Nevada state Representative Jim Marchant, with Jeffrey Ross Gunter, who served as U.S. ambassador to Iceland under Trump, also expected to enter the race, according to local media.

(Reporting by Josephine Walker in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Matthew Lewis)