Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley lost last night’s Nevada Republican primary race as the “none of these candidates” polling option received 61.8% of the 51,937 votes cast at press time, while Haley received31.6% of votes cast. In total, 62% of votes have been counted at press time. If Haley had won the state’s primary election, she still would have walked away without any of Nevada’s allocated delegates.
Nevada state legislature transitioned the state away from caucuses in 2021 in hopes of cementing initiatives to improve voter access, but the Nevada Republican Party believes that the caucuses are more secure and encourage voter-candidate interaction.
In protest, the Nevada Republican party will hold the state caucus on Feb. 8, and the winner will leave the state with all of its allocated delegates. Haley, who ran in Nevada’s Republican primary, is effectively ineligible to run in the caucus, according to the Nevada GOP.
“Simply put, candidates who participate in an illegitimate process cannot expect to earn legitimate delegates to the Republican National Convention,” the Nevada GOP said in a December 2023 press release.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who was not on last night’s ballot, will be participating in the caucus. Without Haley participating in the Feb. 8 caucus, Trump is the clear frontrunner in the race for the state’s allocated delegates. If he wins, he could potentially sweep the state’s 26 available delegates.
Haley’s loss follows a string of losses in both the New Hampshire and Iowa Republican primaries. Haley did not release a statement addressing her Nevada loss by press time, but has maintained resolve after her New Hampshire loss, adding that the “race is far from over.”
“There are dozens of states left to go, and the next one is my sweet state of South Carolina,” Haley said.
Despite Haley’s dedication to campaigning in her home state, preliminary polls indicate that Trump holds the lead in South Carolina.
According to Associate Professor of Political Science Bernard Fraga, Haley may continue her campaign even if she loses the South Carolina primary.
“Now it’s effectively a two-candidate race, it’s not clear why Haley has to drop out,” Fraga said. “If she can continue to fundraise enough to mount a campaign, there’s other benefits that could accrue to her.”
