The Republican Party primary candidate Nikki Haley has lost to the “neither candidate” option in the Republican Party primaries that were held this Tuesday in the state of Nevada, in an event in which former President Donald Trump did not participate, since he will take part in two days in a caucus where the delegates will actually be awarded.
The most voted option of the night was “none of the candidates”, with 61% of the votes (29,600 ballots), while the former US ambassador to the UN has received 32.4% of the support (15,700), according to projections corresponding to 61% of the scrutiny.
former US vice president Mike Pence, who announced in October 2023 that he was withdrawing from the race due to lack of support after a campaign promising “different leadership” after openly criticizing Trump, has received 4.2% of the votes (2,000). Republican Senator from South Carolina Tim Scottwho also suspended his campaign in November, has collected 1.3% of the votes (629).
Haley’s campaign spokesperson, Olivia Pérez-Cubas, has reacted to the result, stating that They have “never” been “bothered by playing a rigged game in favor of Trump”. “We are moving full steam ahead in South Carolina and beyond,” she said in statements to the American television network CNN.
Before participating in the electoral appointment, the campaign director, Betsy Ankney, explained that they were participating in the primaries instead of the caucuses because was not going to pay “$55,000 to a Trump entity to participate in a rigged process in favor of Trump”. “We haven’t spent a penny or an ounce of energy in Nevada,” she concluded.
Nevada is the first state on the west coast to elect a candidate and its elections have been marked by a confusing situation due to the holding of primaries, which have the participation of Haley, and, just two days later, a caucus, where delegates will be awarded and in which Trump participates, so that both candidates do not even compete against each other.
The calendar for the nomination of the Republican Party candidate includes primaries with traditional ballot box voting, but also caucuses, in which citizens linked to a certain party debate and choose their favoritesin some cases by show of hands and without the need for ballots.
In any case, the election is not direct, since whether through primaries or caucuses, what citizens are deciding is the composition of the delegation of said state in national conventionswhere the proclamation of the person who will represent the formation in the general elections will be formally made (this year they will take place on November 5).
