Biden secures victory in Nevada primary with little opposition.
President Joe Biden won the Nevada presidential primary with little opposition, bringing him closer to the general election where he’s expected to face former President Donald Trump. According to the Associated Press, Biden secured approximately 89 percent of the vote.
In Nevada, the 36 Democratic delegates will be distributed based on the final vote count. Democratic candidates need 1,968 delegates to secure the nomination.
Before Tuesday’s primary, Nevada’s Secretary of State reported 14,400 early votes and over 127,700 mail-in ballots received for counting. Of these, 62% were for the Democratic primary and 38% for the Republican primary.
In South Carolina, Nikki Haley is running uncontested on Tuesday, while Donald Trump plans to participate in the state party’s caucus on Thursday.
Nevada’s primary, being the first in the West for 2024, will be closely observed as a swing state in November.’
In the past four presidential elections, Nevada has consistently supported Democratic candidates. However, in 2022, voters elected Republican Joe Lombardo as governor. Lombardo has already endorsed Donald Trump for president.
Biden faced little competition in Nevada because Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) didn’t file to appear on the ballot last year.
The next Democratic nominating contest is in Michigan, which was moved into an earlier spot last year with backing from Biden. Michigan’s primary is scheduled for Feb. 27.
Phillips, who is challenging Biden, will be on the Michigan ballot and plans to campaign in the state on Feb. 8, according to a campaign spokesperson. Additionally, self-help author Marianne Williamson, who received just over 3 percent of the vote in Nevada, will also be on the Michigan ballot, as confirmed by the Michigan secretary of state’s office.
Biden is almost guaranteed to win the Michigan contest.
Nevada held a Republican primary on Tuesday, but it won’t allocate delegates for the Republican National Convention. The party will determine results from a GOP-run caucus on Thursday. Trump is predicted to emerge victorious.
In the 2020 election, Latino voters played a crucial role in Biden’s narrow victory in Nevada. He won by a margin of just over 33,000 votes in a state with 1.8 million registered voters.
The close election has spurred Democrats to redouble efforts in boosting voter turnout this year.
With no competitive opponent in the primary, it will be challenging to interpret the actual importance of Tuesday’s turnout numbers. This is because fewer voters tend to participate in uncontested races, where one candidate holds a significant advantage.
Ahead of Tuesday’s in-person primary, Nevada’s Secretary of State confirmed that 14,400 early votes had been cast, along with over 127,700 mail-in ballots accepted for counting.
Up next for Biden in the primary is Michigan, another key swing state, offering 117 Democratic delegates.
Nevada is holding both a primary and a caucus due to differing rules. Nikki Haley runs unopposed in the primary, while Donald Trump participates separately in the caucus. This allows the state party to accommodate different methods of candidate selection.