CNN
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On Thursday, CNN projects that Donald Trump won Nevada's Republican presidential primary, effectively guaranteed when his only remaining well-known rival, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, opted not to run for the state's delegates.
The former president has now won all three Republican contests so far — including the Silver State in Iowa and New Hampshire — and is closing in on the GOP's 2024 presidential bid.
Thursday's caucuses in Nevada came two days after the state's primaries — with President Joe Biden dominating the Democratic race and “none of these candidates” leading Republicans ahead of Halley.
The Nevada Republican Party, led by Trump allies, decided not to award its delegates through a party-run primary — and banned candidates running in the primary from caucus votes. That means Trump only faced little-known Dallas pastor Ryan Binkley on Thursday.
Trump, as he prepares to travel to Nevada to deliver celebratory remarks on Thursday, again tried to get Haley out of the race.
“I think she's hurting herself, but she's hurting the party and in a way the country,” Trump said Thursday outside his Mar-a-Lago home.
Trump's political fate faces a verdict beyond the ballot box on Thursday. Previously, the US Supreme Court Arguments were heard The actions of the former president around that January 6, 2021, an attack on the US capital Make him ineligible for office.
Nevada Republicans aren't alone Thursday. Trump will win the Republican caucus in the U.S. Virgin Islands, defeating Haley for the territory's four delegates, CNN projects.
Haley faces an embarrassing decision in Nevada on Tuesday with candidates on the ballot.
Although no delegates are on the line, the primary represents a setback for Haley Prove it to Republican donors and voters She remains a potential contender ahead of her next big face-off with Trump in the South Carolina primary on February 24.
“We always knew Nevada was a scam,” Hawley said in a Fox Business interview on Wednesday. “Trump rigged it from the beginning. … We didn't spend a day or a dollar there. We didn't even care about it.
Trump, meanwhile, urged his supporters in the Silver State to skip the primary and vote in the caucuses.
“In your state, you have both a primary and a caucus. Don't worry about the primary, do the caucus thing,” he told attendees at a recent Las Vegas rally.
As a result of state law passed in 2021, Nevada's presidential elections were contested in favor of state-run primaries. Advocates said the measure would make driving less difficult and confusing for voters.
Patrick D. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
A pair of ballot boxes are displayed at a voter center in Las Vegas during the Nevada presidential election on February 6, 2024.
However, the Nevada Republican Party — led by Trump loyalists — decided to hold caucuses this year anyway and award state delegates to the Republican National Convention based on those results. It also warned that candidates who participated in the primary would not qualify for caucuses or receive any delegates.
However, some Republican presidential candidates, including Haley, filed to run in the primary. Trump is now the last remaining major contender in Thursday's caucuses, effectively ensuring his victory. (He faces only token opposition from little-known Texas pastor Ryan Binkley on Thursday's ballot.)
Democrats awarded Nevada's 2024 presidential delegates based on the results of Tuesday's first-west primary. President Joe Biden Winning in dominant fashion – adds up His victory in South Carolina He is moving towards securing his party's nomination for a second term.
With no contested primaries in Nevada, the main presidential contenders paid little attention to the Silver State. Nevada – Biden's state is likely to change in the fall narrowly won But in 2020, Republicans Flipped the governor's office In 2022 – the battleground for the presidency and the Senate.
CNN's David Wright, Ethan Cohen and Terence Burlige contributed to this report.
