Nevada's GOP Caucus and Primary for 2024: A New Twist with Trump Claiming Victory
Nevada hosted its first-in-the-West presidential nominating contest on Tuesday, but the 2024 process features new twists with two GOP events this week — a primary and caucuses — creating an unusual scenario where the leading Republican White House hopefuls won't directly face off in the Silver State.
Why is Nevada having a Republican caucus and primary?
Nevada made a change to state law in 2021 and transitioned from party-run caucuses to government-run primaries. This change came after years of dwindling attendance at caucuses and aimed to improve voter access. Other states were implementing more restrictions on voting due to allegations of voter fraud.
The Nevada Republican Party, who has argued in favor of caucuses, are holding the caucuses to protest the move. They believe caucuses are more secure and help candidates connect with voters. The caucuses are the only way for candidates to earn the party's delegates in the state and anyone on the primary ballot is barred from appearing on the caucus ballot.
Over 59,000 Republican ballots have already been cast for the primary, while over 95,000 Democratic ballots have been cast.
Who is on the ballot in the Nevada primaries?
President Biden is projected to win the Democratic presidential primary in Nevada. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota was not on the Democratic ballot, having entered the race after the filing deadline passed. Thirty-six Democratic delegates are up for grabs.
In the Republican presidential primary, the 'none of these candidates' category is projected to win the most votes. Nikki Haley will finish with the second-most votes. Former White House hopefuls Sen. Tim Scott of Florida and former Vice President Mike Pence, who have suspended their campaigns, were also on the ballot.
Why isn't Trump on the ballot for the Nevada republican primary?
Former President Donald Trump chose not to appear on the primary ballot and opted to appear on the GOP caucus ballot. Trump's opponents claim that the effort to keep the caucuses going in the state was pushed by his allies.
The state Republican party established rules against meaningful involvement by super PACs at the caucus, which upset some campaigns like Ron DeSantis'. Trump mentioned Nikki Haley's choice to appear on the primary ballot in his New Hampshire victory speech, saying she decided 'not to play in Nevada.'
What does the winner of the Nevada GOP primary get?
CBS News projected that Nikki Haley lost the GOP primary. Even if she had won, she would not have been awarded any delegates, which are tied to the caucuses. The projected results will impact her momentum for South Carolina's primary contest later this month.
As of now, Trump has picked up 20 delegates in Iowa and 13 in New Hampshire, while Haley picked up eight in Iowa and nine in New Hampshire. A candidate needs 1,215 delegates to capture the GOP nomination.
