LAS VEGAS—Former President Donald Trump, as expected, cruised to victory in the Nevada GOP Caucus on Feb. 8, putting him one step closer to winning his party’s nomination.
The Associated Press called the race for Trump at 11:05 p.m. ET.
Nevada’s unusual primary-and-caucus situation occurred because the state GOP refused to recognize the state’s new presidential preference primary.
Democrat lawmakers instituted that format under a new law. But the state Republican Party stuck with its time-honored caucuses, meetings where residents gather to discuss the presidential hopefuls and vote for their favorite.
Bruce Parks, chair of Nevada’s Washoe County GOP, told The Epoch Times in a phone interview that he was shuttling among several locations to replenish ballot supplies that had run out.
Mr. Parks said 62,000 ballots were printed for his county alone, where there are more than 103,000 registered Republicans. That’s about 6,000 more than registered Democrats, he said.
Mr. Parks said, “We had lines that went outside the school and around the block at several locations.”
Mr. Hansen said there were “enormous lines and energy... one of the highest turnouts I’ve ever seen.” Mr. Hansen predicted: “President Trump will have a fantastic night!”
President Trump’s challengers allege that he encouraged protesters who breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Therefore, they say President Trump should be barred under the 14th Amendment from seeking the nation’s highest office for aiding in an “insurrection,” a label that President Trump’s supporters say is misapplied.
The eligibility question is just one of many legal challenges the former president faces. He denies wrongdoing and alleges that political foes are backing many civil and criminal cases against him to wage “election interference.” His foes counter that the facts call for the former president to be held accountable.
At the same time, the former president is still attempting to swat away Ms. Haley. The Republican race for presidential nominee heads next to her home state for its “First-in-the-South” primary on Feb. 24.
That vote is traditionally viewed as a major test of a presidential candidate’s viability.
In contrast, President Trump’s South Carolina arsenal is fortified with 14 major endorsers.
Those include Gov. Henry McMaster, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette; Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott; and Reps. Nancy Mace, Jeff Duncan, Joe Wilson, William Timmons, and Russell Fry.
Nine of those nods came after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign on Jan. 21, just before the New Hampshire primary.
In addition, President Trump is far outpacing Ms. Haley in opinion polls.
This election cycle, the Republican field has winnowed to just two major contenders much faster than anyone can recall.
But because of President Trump’s dominant wins in the early contests, some political analysts say that, in essence, President Trump and President Biden are already going head-to-head against each other.
Despite many citizens’ grave concerns over the U.S.-Mexico immigration crisis, economic conditions, and foreign policy, opinion polls are showing tight margins between President Biden and President Trump.
But that lead is within the typical margin of error, which is 3 percent to 4 percent, leaving the two men locked in a statistical tie thus far.
