Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley has suffered an embarrassing blow in Nevada’s primary vote, after losing to the “none of these candidates” option.
She placed second despite being the only viable candidate in the field, as Donald Trump was absent from the ballot.
Nevada’s state governor had endorsed voting in this way as a protest against Haley, who is Trump’s last rival to become the Republican nominee.
Haley received 31 per cent of the vote, whilst the “none of these candidates” option overshadowed Haley’s supporters by a large margin, coming in at 63.
Nikki Haley placed second despite being the only viable candidate in the field
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As the contest is not legally binding, the victory for “none” will have no impact on the official race.
Trump will take part in the state-wide caucus tomorrow, where he is unchallenged in that contest.
He will secure Nevada’s 26 delegates, adding to those he collected in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Haley decided not to participate in the caucus vote, which costs $55,000 to participate in, bashing the assembly as “rigged”.
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Trump will take part in the state-wide caucus tomorrow, where he is unchallenged
ReutersHer campaign manager Betsy Ankney told reporters on Monday: “We have not spent a dime nor an ounce of energy on Nevada. We made the decision early on that we were not going to pay $55,000 to a Trump entity to participate in a process that is rigged for Trump.”
Nevada is the only state in the country that allows voters to select “none of these candidates” and Trump, who will host a party in Las Vegas on Thursday, wasted little time mocking Haley.
“A bad night for Nikki Haley. Losing by almost 30 points in Nevada to ‘None of These Candidates’,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Watch, she’ll soon claim Victory!”
Trump is the favourite to become the Republican candidate nomination against Joe Biden. He won easily in both the Iowa and New Hampshire votes last month. He still faces competition from Haley, who will face him next in her home state of South Carolina.
Ron DeSantis stepped down from the Republican presidential race last month
Ron DeSantisSouth Carolina will hold the next primary on February 24, however, opinion polls state that she will not win the nomination.
Trump’s other main challenger Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropped out of the running in January.
Joe Biden won Nevada’s Democratic primary after collecting 90 per cent of the votes.
He faces little opposition from within his own party and it is almost certain that he will be chosen as the Democratic candidate.
