Nikki Haley loses out to ‘none of the above’ in Nevada Republican Primary

Embarrassment for former UN ambassador in her bid to position herself as a genuine rival to Donald Trump

Nikki Haley suffered an embarrassing defeat in Nevada’s Republican primary, with a majority of voters backing “none of these candidates” in a show of support for Donald Trump.
The former UN ambassador, the last remaining rival to frontrunner Mr Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, was the only major candidate contesting Tuesday’s non-binding vote.
Mr Trump was not on the ballot due to a row between state authorities and the Nevada GOP, which will hold a separate caucus on Thursday and had urged voters to ignore the vote.
Official results more than two hours after polls closed showed the former UN ambassador had just 32 per cent support, against more than 61 per cent for “none of these candidates.”
Mr Trump is expected to secure all of Nevada’s 26 delegates in the caucus vote on Thursday, as he moves closer to clinching the Republican nomination after back-to-back wins in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Ms Haley had previously sought to downplay the importance of results in the state, claiming it had been ‘‘rigged for Trump.”
But Tuesday’s vote still marked a blow for her campaign, resulting in her becoming the first presidential candidate from either party to lose a race to “none of these candidates” since that option was introduced in Nevada in 1975.
Ms Haley had said beforehand she was going to “focus on the states that are fair” and did not campaign in the western state ahead of the primary.
She has vowed to stay in the Republican nominating race and on to a potential last stand in her home state of South Carolina on February 24.
Voters were permitted to participate in the primary on Tuesday and the caucus on Thursday. Candidates were only allowed to compete in one.
Joe Lombardo, Nevada’s Republican governor and a Trump supporter, had said he would vote “none of these candidates” on Tuesday and caucus for Mr Trump on Thursday.
The competing Republican ballots are the result of a conflict between the state Republican Party – run by Trump allies – and a 2021 state law that mandates a primary must be held.
Presidential nominating caucuses are run by state political parties, not the state, and the Trump-friendly Nevada Republican Party decided to stick with a caucus on Feb 8. 
Critics said the process was manufactured to ensure the former president won.
The caucuses require a candidate to intensely organise supporters around the state in order to be competitive, a feat that Mr Trump was well-positioned to do.
The Nevada GOP also restricted the involvement of super PACs like the one Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had been relying on to boost his now-suspended campaign.
There was also a Democratic primary in Nevada on Tuesday that Joe Biden, the US president, easily won against author Marianne Williamson and a handful of less-known challengers. Dean Phillips the Democrat from Minnesota who has been challenging Mr Biden’s nomination, was not on the ballot.
Mr Biden issued a statement thanking Nevada voters for their support and, with an eye toward an expected match-up in November, warned that Mr Trump is trying to divide America.
“I want to thank the voters of Nevada for sending me and Kamala Harris to the White House four years ago, and for setting us one step further on that same path again tonight. We must organise, mobilise, and vote. Because one day, when we look back, we’ll be able to say, when American democracy was a risk, we saved it – together,” Mr Biden said.
Despite Tuesday’s results in Nevada having little impact on the nominating contests, the state will be a hotly contested battleground because its population can swing to either party and play a significant role in November’s presidential election.
In 2020, Mr Biden beat Mr Trump in Nevada by 2.4 percentage points. Opinion polls show a likely rematch between the two will be close.
About 30 per cent of Nevada’s population is self-described as Latino or Hispanic on the US, census, and Republicans are making some inroads with these voters nationwide.
Nevada also has many potential swing voters: there are 768,000 registered as “non-partisan”, more than those registered as either Democrat or Republican, according to the latest state figures.