Global News Desk:
In a notable setback, Nikki
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, faced embarrassment as 'none of
these candidates' surpassed her in the Nevada GOP presidential primary on
Tuesday.
The loss is largely meaningless
because former President Donald Trump decided to skip the Nevada presidential
preference primary and instead is expected to win the GOP-run caucuses Thursday
night. That victory will give him all 26 of the state's delegates.
But it's a symbolic hit to the
former governor who came in third in Iowa and second in New Hampshire and heads
next to her home state's Feb. 24 Republican primary. She captured almost 32% of
the vote, while "none" claimed nearly 62% with close to two-thirds of
the state's votes counted.
A number of Republican voters,
initially confused about why Trump wasn't on their ballot, said they voted for
"none of these candidates" in support of the former president.
“I wanted Donald Trump to be on
there,” said Republican voter Ron Stanley, 64, a truck driver, who dropped off
a ballot in person in downtown Reno shortly before noon.
At first, when he saw Trump's
name wasn't on his ballot, he thought maybe elections managers were pulling a
fast one, but once he understood Trump chose to skip the primary, Stanley said
he assumed the former president had his reasons.
He voted for "none" in
protest, said Stanley, who used to work in the Texas oilfields.
“Nikki Haley is not the answer.
Trump’s the guy who has shown, from his business background, that he can make
the hard decisions we need. Small business and family farms are just getting
pounded by so many restrictions. The answer is not more government.”
Nevada's competing caucus and
primary were the first nominating contests in the West.
Tuesday’s election was unusually
quiet compared to past years, with no campaign signs visible and no
enthusiastic volunteers cheering for their preferred candidate outside polling
sites.
Turnout appeared to be low, with
no evident lines and fewer than 12,000 ballots cast by 2 p.m. About 150,000
Nevadans voted early or by mail-in or absentee ballot, roughly 13% of the
eligible voters, according to the Secretary of State's office.
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.
Outside a Reno polling place on
Tuesday, Gary Benedetti, 75, said he hoped Haley would stay in the race. A
longtime Republican voter, Benedetti said he can't stomach the idea of another
Trump presidency. “We need a change. I’m tired of the drama," he said.
"“If it doesn’t work out with her, I’ll change to Independent. I’m just
not going to vote for Trump. There’s too many red flags hanging over his head.”
Benedetti rejected the idea of
participating in Thursday's GOP caucuses: "If you want to argue with
somebody, there are better places to do it, he said: “We should do away with
caucuses. We need to get back to civility in the Republican Party."
The Haley campaign noted that it
did not campaign in Nevada because the whole thing has been a setup for Trump.
“Even Donald Trump knows that
when you play penny slots the house wins,” said spokesperson Olivia
Perez-Cubas. “We didn’t bother to play a game rigged for Trump. We’re full
steam ahead in South Carolina and beyond.”
Trump wasn't on the ballot, but many wish he had been
Many Republican voters on Tuesday
remained confused why Trump's name was missing from the primary ballot, despite
an extensive public-education campaign by the media and election managers.
Washoe County Registrar of Voters
Cari-Ann Burgess said most voters were understanding once her staff explained
Trump himself decided to skip the primary.
"He opted out of
participating in the Nevada presidential preference primary," Burgess said
Tuesday. "But he's in the caucus."
Republican Michael Holton, who
works in manufacturing, said he begrudgingly voted for "none of these
candidates" at a South Reno polling site.
Holton, 61, said he wished Trump
could have participated in the primary so the former president could defeat Haley
in a head-to-head competition. Holton said Haley, a former Trump ambassador to
the United Nations, is disloyal running against her former boss.
"I'm bummed he's not on the
ballot," Holton said. "I feel the caucus will be strong for him but
I'm just bummed he's not on the ballot."
Former Nevada Gov. Brian
Sandoval, a Republican, laughed and declined to say who he voted for after
casting his ballot. Sandoval, now the president of the University of Nevada,
Reno, voted at the university's student union.
Sandoval told USA TODAY he thinks
most of the concern over the dueling primary and caucus has passed, and said he
favored anything that gets more people to participate in the political process.
Sandoval was first elected Nevada attorney general in 2003, and then after
serving as a federal judge won the governorship twice starting in 2010, before
term limits forced him to step down.
“Yes, there will be a little bit
of confusion but if it encourages more people to get out there and be part of
the process I’m all for it," Sandoval said.
Biden won, too
President Joe Biden who faced no
serious opposition on the ballot, cleared nearly 90% of the Democratic vote. He
easily bested self-help author Marianne Williamson and a number of other
challengers who met basic qualification rules. Nearly 6% of Democrats voted for
"none of these candidates."
In acknowledging his win in a
statement shortly before midnight East Coast time, Biden thanked Nevada
Democrats for supporting him and praised them as "the backbone of our
nation."
Voter Bruce Bartlett, 80, said he
voted for Biden to show support for the president. Bartlett, a retired
investigator for the district attorney, said Biden has done a good job
improving the United States given what he inherited from Trump.
"We’re concerned about our
country and want to try to do that right thing," Bartlett said.
Like several other voters,
Bartlett said he was frustrated that Biden and Trump are both so old, and
called for a new generation of leaders.
“I realized when I retired at 62
that times had changed. It was time to turn over my job to a new
generation," Bartlett said. "And it’s time to do that with elected
offices too."
College student Emma Bergren, 21,
said she also wanted to see younger candidates. After voting for Biden, who she
said she supports because he's addressing student loan debt for young people
like her, Bergren said younger candidates could spur more interest from young
voters.
“I think there needs to be more
engagement with my generation," she said. “I don’t really care about
parties. I care about who can do something for us.”(News Source By USA Today)