On Thursday, former President Donald Trump became the only major candidate to win Nevada’s Republican presidential caucus.
Nikki Haley, a former ambassador to the United Nations, was absent from the only caucus in Nevada that could influence the Republican nomination.
Ms. Haley instead ran in Nevada’s iconic state-run presidential primary on Tuesday, citing what she considered an unfair process that favored Mr. I fell behind in choosing “None of the above.”
Trump’s victory in Nevada gives him all 26 delegates from the state.
He needs to win 1,215 delegates to formally certify his party’s nomination, a number he could reach in March.
Trump is the front-runner, but the Nevada caucuses were seen as particularly skewed in his favor because of his strong grassroots support. In the caucuses, candidates need to take advantage of each state to win.
The Nevada party last year barred candidates from running in both primaries and caucuses, banning super PACs such as the group that was key to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign before he resigned. Roles were also limited.
Unlike caucuses, which typically require voters to attend an in-person meeting on a specific day or time, elections offer more flexibility in participation, as voting takes place most of the day on Election Day, along with absentee or early voting. can do.
Nevada Republicans said they want certain rules to be in place, such as requiring participants to show government-issued identification.
Trump supporters waited in long lines Thursday. At the caucus site at a Reno-area elementary school, a line of nearly 1,000 people stretched around the corner and into the street 20 minutes after the caucus began.
Voters in line, some wearing Trump hats and shirts, said they were there to support the former president in the race for the Republican Party’s third consecutive presidential victory.
“I think it’s important to support Mr. Trump and give him the support he needs. And to let people know that we support him,” said Heather Kirkwood, 47. .
Although Mr. Trump has long been hugely popular among Nevada Republicans, there was a perception among key figures in the party that Mr. Trump had other advantages. Michael McDonald, chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, and Jim DeGraffenreid, chairman of the state’s Republican National Committee, were so-called fake electors who sent a false certificate to Congress stating that Trump won Nevada in 2020. He was among six Republican lawmakers in the state to be charged with felonies.
The Republican campaign will shift its focus from Nevada to the South Carolina primary on February 24th. Although Trump remains popular in the deeply conservative state, Haley, a two-time South Carolina governor, hopes to benefit from her home state advantage.
Trump is aiming to win a large number of delegates on Super Tuesday, March 5, which would move him closer to becoming the leading Republican candidate.
