Voters express their dissatisfaction as the former U.N. ambassador loses in the state-run Republican nominating contest
Voters participating in the Republican nominating contest in Nevada had a unique option: they could vote for “none of these candidates.” Notably, the Associated Press projected that this option would defeat former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley in a primary that didn’t offer any delegates for the upcoming Republican convention. Trump supporters at polling stations expressed their frustration by casting their ballots for “none of these candidates.”
Haley, who served as the two-term governor of South Carolina and later as a U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, chose to ignore the Nevada primary. She neither campaigned in the state nor made any visits since late October. Her campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, made it clear that Nevada was not their focus, stating, “In terms of Nevada, we have not spent a dime nor an ounce of energy on Nevada.”
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump seized the opportunity to criticize Haley on his Truth Social network, claiming, “A bad night for Nikki Haley. Losing by almost 30 points in Nevada to ‘None of These Candidates.’ Watch, she’ll soon claim Victory!” Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita also joined in, anticipating more embarrassment for Haley in her home state of South Carolina.
Although Trump’s name was absent from the primary ballot, it will appear in Thursday’s presidential caucus organized by the Nevada GOP. The confusion surrounding the existence of two competing contests stems from a law passed by the Democratic party in 2021, converting the long-held caucuses into a state-run primary. The Nevada GOP objected to this change, but their legal attempt to halt the primary was unsuccessful. As a result, the state Republicans were allowed to hold their own caucuses, with all 26 delegates up for grabs.
However, the state GOP imposed a rule that candidates who participated in the state-run primary could not partake in the caucuses. Haley and other Republican presidential candidates who disagreed with the Nevada GOP’s perceived allegiance to Trump decided to skip the caucus they believed was biased in favor of the former president. Nevada GOP chair Michael McDonald, along with the state’s members of the Republican National Committee, have publicly shown their support for Trump.
While the GOP candidates had to choose between the caucus and primary ballot, registered Republicans in Nevada were eligible to vote in both. Trump’s campaign has made efforts to inform his supporters in Nevada that their vote in the caucus holds more significance. Trump himself emphasized this during a recent rally in Las Vegas, stating, “Your primary vote doesn’t mean anything. It’s your caucus vote. So in your state, you have both the primary and you have a caucus. Don’t worry about the primary, just do the caucus thing.”
As Trump plans to return to Las Vegas for a caucus celebration, it is evident that this week’s contests only serve as a prelude to an intense campaign season in Nevada, a crucial battleground state in the general election.
