Nikki Haley’s Humiliating Defeat in Nevada Primary

(RepublicanNews.org) – Former UN Ambassador and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley called Nevada’s Republican presidential primary a “scam,” adding that it was “rigged” in her opponent Donald Trump’s favor. Haley suffered a resounding defeat, with GOP voters largely opting for the “none of these candidates” option rather than deign to select Haley when their preferred candidate, Trump, did not appear on the ballot.

Nevada’s Republican primary is largely a symbolic affair, with the state’s caucus serving the purpose of presidential candidate selection. The oddity of having two candidate contests in the state dates back to 2021 when both the state’s legislature and governor’s office were controlled by the Democrats. The Democrats passed a law forcing the state to introduce a primary for its selection process, whereas previously it had utilized the caucus for this purpose.

While the Nevada Republicans fought this decision, in 2023 they lost their bid to overturn the new law. However, the judge chose to allow the state’s Republicans to hold their own caucuses, effectively allowing them to return to their preferred method of selection. All 26 delegate spots are up for contest in the Republican caucus, with none in the primary.

Despite the importance of the caucus, Haley stated that she decided not to pay the $55,000 required to appear on the Nevada Republican primary ballot, adding that she refused at all to spend any money or time campaigning in the state. Haley and her team’s apparent snubbing of Nevada was reflected in the votes cast against her, with Washoe County Republican Party Chair Bruce Parks quoted as saying, “They basically told us they don’t care about us” and that a vote for “none of these candidates” was a way to “respond in kind.”

In the Nevada dual contest system, Republican candidates may only put their name forward for either the caucus or the primary, although voters may participate in both contests. Trump has chosen to put his efforts into the caucus, encouraging his supporters at a Las Vegas rally in January to “do the caucus thing.”