Former President Donald Trump secured a decisive victory in the Nevada caucuses on Thursday, as projected by NBC News. This marks his fourth consecutive win on the path to securing the GOP nomination.
Trump faced minimal opposition in the caucuses, with most of his rivals dropping out of the race. The sole remaining contender, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, opted to participate in Nevada’s state-sponsored primary on Tuesday. However, she suffered a significant defeat, losing to the option “None of These Candidates” by a substantial margin of at least 30 points, according to the latest vote count.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump seized the opportunity to taunt Haley over her defeat, suggesting she would soon spin the loss as a victory.
Donald Trump (Credits: The Boston Globe)
Trump’s triumph in Nevada, where he claimed all 26 of the state’s GOP delegates, solidifies his position as the dominant figure within the Republican Party. Despite Haley’s insistence on continuing her campaign, including vowing to compete in the upcoming South Carolina primary on February 24 and potentially beyond, Trump remains firmly in control.
While Haley focused her efforts on California, which holds its primary on Super Tuesday, March 5, Trump strategically targeted Las Vegas, urging Republicans to prioritize participation in the caucuses over the state-run primary, which he dismissed as inconsequential.
Following the conclusion of the contest, Trump was expected to attend a caucus watch party in Nevada.
This year marked a departure from the traditional caucus format in Nevada, with the state transitioning to primaries following a legislative change in 2021. Despite this shift, the state Republican Party opted to conduct both a caucus and a primary, stipulating that candidates could only compete in one of the two. Notably, delegates are exclusively allocated through the caucus system.
Haley opted out of participating in the caucuses, alleging that they were biased in favor of Trump due to support from GOP insiders.
The Nevada Republican Party has faced scrutiny, with six members indicted for allegedly acting as false electors for Trump in the 2020 election. Among those indicted are party Chair Michael McDonald and Vice Chair Jim DeGraffenreid, both of whom were subpoenaed to testify in the federal investigation into Trump’s attempts to overturn the election results.
Nevada’s significance extends beyond the primaries, as evidenced by President Joe Biden’s presence in the state leading up to the Democratic primary, which he won convincingly with nearly 90% of the vote.
The next battleground for the GOP primaries is Haley’s home state of South Carolina, where recent polling indicates Trump holds a significant lead over his competitors.
