On August 14, 2023, Republicans in Nevada announced that they would boycott and ignore the non-binding, state-organized primary following a controversy over the selection of a primary process over the traditional caucus format in the state's presidential preference contests. The state-run primary was held on February 6, while the Nevada Republican Party held its own caucus on February 8.
Nikki Haley lost the popular vote in the non-binding Nevada primary to None of These Candidates.[5] Although None of These Candidates received more votes, Haley was the official winner of the primary.[1] Trump won the party-organized caucus.
Backgroundedit
Controversyedit
The Democratic-controlled Nevada Legislature, supported by former senator Harry Reid, moved to establish a presidential primary in 2021 for the Republican and Democratic parties, following the "havoc" of the 2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses.[6] Previously, party-organized caucuses were used to determine delegates in presidential elections. In May 2023, the Republican Party sued the state of Nevada, because they preferred to keep using the caucuses to determine their delegate allocation.[7][8]
The Republican primary required more than one Republican candidate to file by October 16, 2023. Nevada Republicans have said that they will instead hold a party-organized caucus on February 8, 2024. To participate in the caucus, Republican candidates needed to register their candidacy with the Nevada Republican Party in a filing window from September 1, 2023, to October 15, 2023.[7][9]
Additionally, Haley, the only remaining major candidate on the primary ballot by the time of the election, refused to spend funds or campaign in the Nevada primaries due to not being allowed to enter the caucuses.[10] This lead to early speculation "None of the Above" would win the primaries instead.[citation needed]
Procedureedit
Delegates are proportionally allocated to candidates who receive at least 3.85% of the votes in the caucus on February 8, 2024. Votes in the primary on February 6, 2024, will not be included in determining delegate allocation.
Candidatesedit
The filing deadline for the Nevada primary was on October 16, 2023. The office of the Secretary of State of Nevada published the list of qualified candidates on October 20.[11] The filing window for the Nevada caucus was between September 1 and October 15. The party published their own list of candidates and did not allow those who filed for the state-run primary to participate.[12]
The state of Nevada, per a law enacted in 1975, will also allow voters in the primary to cast a vote for "None of these Candidates."[13] Local news outlets in Nevada reported that it was plausible that Nikki Haley could face a competitive race against "None of these candidates" because Nevada voters, including those who wished to support Trump in the caucus but couldn't vote for him in the primary, were allowed to participate in both the primary and the caucus.[2]
In March 2023, it was reported that Trump hosted a range of Nevada Republican Party officials at Mar-a-Lago as part of his campaign's "aggressive outreach to state and local party officials in the early primary states."[17]
The two contests have led to some confusion among voters, where they have questioned why Trump is not listed on the primary ballot, with thousands of them calling in to request clarification.[18]
^Despite receiving fewer votes than None of These Candidates, Haley officially won the primary.[1] Under Nevada state law, "only votes cast for the named candidates shall be counted” for the purposes of declaring the winner of an election.[2]
^Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy were originally on the ballot, but have been removed since they all suspended their campaigns.
^Calculated by taking the difference of 100% and all other candidates combined.
^ abHughes, Trevor (February 7, 2024). "Nevada primary takeaways: 'None' beats Haley. Trump wasn't on GOP ballot. Biden wins Dems". USA Today. Retrieved February 7, 2024. Haley still the official winner. Although "none of these candidates" received more votes, according to Nevada state law, the person who gets the most votes is declared the winner.
^ abcJackson, Hugh (January 21, 2024). "Nikki Haley: Second to none?". The Nevada Current. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
^"Nevada Republican Presidential Nominating Process". The Green Papers. March 5, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
^Birenbaum, Gabby (February 25, 2023). "One year out, Republicans preview how Nevadans will land on presidential nomination". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
^Korecki, Natasha (February 6, 2024). "Nikki Haley loses to 'none of these candidates' in the Nevada GOP primary". NBC News. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
^Gans, Jared; Robertson, Nick (January 30, 2024). "Why Haley and Trump are on separate ballots in Nevada". The Hill. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
^ abGabriel, Trip (August 14, 2023). "Nevada G.O.P. Sets February Caucus, Jumping Ahead of South Carolina". New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
^Nevada GOP (August 15, 2023). "Sign Up for the 2024 Presidential Caucus!". Nevada GOP. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
^Nevada GOP (August 15, 2023). "Sign Up for the 2024 Presidential Caucus!". Nevada GOP. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
^Mueller, Julia (February 5, 2024). "Haley campaign blasts Nevada caucuses as 'rigged for Trump'". The Hill. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
^"2024 Presidential Preference Primary Candidates". Secretary of State of Nevada. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
^"2024 Presidential Caucus". Nevada GOP. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
^Yang, John (October 18, 2016). "Not a fan of any candidate? In Nevada, you can vote for 'None of These Candidates'". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
^Colvin, Jill (October 28, 2023). "Pence ends White House campaign after struggling to gain traction. 'This is not my time,' he says". Associated Press. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
^Vakil, Caroline (November 12, 2023). "Tim Scott suspends 2024 GOP primary bid". The Hill. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
^Gómez, Fin (March 4, 2023). "Trump met with early primary state GOP leaders in Nevada while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke to conservative group Club for Growth". CBS News. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
^Korecki, Natasha (February 1, 2024). "Trump's absence on the Nevada primary ballot fuels a 'calamity' among voters". NBC News. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
^ abcdMencimer, Stephanie (February 6, 2024). "Will Nikki Haley Lose Nevada to "None of the Above"?". Mother Jones. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
^Morris, Kyle; Gillespie, Brandon (May 24, 2023). "More Than 150 Former Trump Administration Officials Now Backing DeSantis for President". Fox News. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
^ abcdefghi"Nevada Political Leaders Endorse Gov. Ron DeSantis for President". 2024 Presidential Campaign Blog. July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
^Steinhauser, Paul. "Longtime DeSantis friend Adam Laxalt to chair super PAC backing Florida governor's expected 2024 run". Retrieved April 22, 2023.
^Calderon, Jannelle (March 11, 2023). "In Visit to Early State Nevada, DeSantis Touts Self as Leader Willing to 'Go on Offense'". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
^Korecki, Natasha; Gomez, Henry J. (June 16, 2023). "Trump World Gets Testy as Ron DeSantis Encroaches on His Nevada Turf". NBC News. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
^Haberman, Maggie (April 25, 2023). "Major G.O.P. donor's commitment to DeSantis is murkier than previously thought". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
^Muth, Chuck (May 31, 2023). "Trump Fatigue: The Milktoast that Broke the Donald's Back". Muth's Truths. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
^Boggioni, Tom (November 25, 2022). "Trump insider unnerved he'll 'sabotage' his 2024 campaign with impulsive new hires". Raw Story. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^Solis, Jacob (March 22, 2022). "Laxalt, Brown gear up for Senate debate, differ on Trump 2024 run". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
^Steinhauser, Paul (April 22, 2023). "Longtime DeSantis friend Adam Laxalt to chair super PAC backing Florida governor's expected 2024 run". Fox News. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
^Pilkington, Ed (October 11, 2022). "Nevada secretary of state contender pledges to secure Trump victory in 2024". The Guardian. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
^Strozewski, Zoe (December 29, 2022). "'Lady Trump' Appointed to Oversee Court Cases Hopes to Become a Lawyer". Newsweek. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
^Allyn Root, Wayne (January 6, 2022). "I'm anti-jab but support President Trump; Here's why". World Tribune. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
^"Silver State 2024 Presidential Preference Primary Election Results". Secretary of State of Nevada. February 6, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.