Nevada Verdict: ‘None of these candidates' option wins GOP primary, Nikki Haley faces embarrassing loss
Nevada GOP voters reject Nikki Haley in the primary poll, opt for None of these candidate as Trump didn't participate.
US President Joe Biden has won the Nevada democratic presidential primary election. However in the Republican stable GOP voters opted for “none of these candidates” option. It's being seen as a symbolic rejection for Nikki Haley, who was the only major candidate on the ballot.
Why was Trump absent from Nevada primary poll?
The former U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, decided to participate in Nevada's state-run primary election on Tuesday instead of the party's presidential caucuses, which is the only contest in the state contributing delegates toward the nomination. Notably, former President Donald Trump is the sole major candidate competing in the caucuses on Thursday, likely securing a sweep of the state's Republican delegates.
Nikki Haley campaign cries foul, will focus on states that are fair
A peculiar aspect of Nevada's election law led to more voters selecting "none of these candidates" on their primary ballots than choosing Haley. Prior to the contests, Haley had expressed her intention to "focus on the states that are fair" and refrained from campaigning in the western state leading up to the caucuses. Her campaign dismissed the primary results, drawing an analogy to Nevada's renowned casino industry.
Spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas stated, "Even Donald Trump knows that when you play penny slots, the house wins. We didn’t bother to play a game rigged for Trump. We’re full steam ahead in South Carolina and beyond."
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, a Republican, had announced in advance that he would vote for "none of these candidates" on Tuesday. Several Republicans had also intended to do the same. Washoe County Republican Party Chair Bruce Parks, a proponent of GOP caucuses, advised voters – including Trump supporters – to participate in the primary by voting for "none of these candidates" over Haley.
“They basically told us they don’t care about us,” Parks said in an interview after the race was called. “By marking ‘none of these candidates,’ we respond in kind — we don’t care about you either,” Perez-Cubas further stated.
