People are putting a lot of attention on South Carolina, where the first official Democratic presidential primary will occur on Feb. 3. However, the next Republican primary won’t take place until Feb. 8, in Nevada — and it isn’t getting as much attention as South Carolina is.
The state is being overlooked for a few reasons. The Republican primary is a shoo-in for former President Donald Trump, who is expected to earn all 26 of the delegates up for grabs. Also, the way the primary functions can be considered complicated.
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There will be both a Republican primary held and a caucus in Nevada. GOP voters in the state can participate in both, but only results from the caucus will count.
Republican presidential hopefuls had to choose which contest they wanted to participate in — either the primary or the caucus. Nikki Haley chose the primary while Trump will participate in the caucus.
The primary is considered a throw-away given the Republican Party’s rules on electing their party’s candidate through the caucus.
So, why is Nevada’s process so convoluted? In 2021, the state passed a law replacing the long-used caucus system with a primary after multiple problems in the Democratic caucuses in 2020. The GOP disagreed with the law and, unsuccessfully, even sued to try and have it changed.
Every registered voter in Nevada receives a ballot in the mail. The GOP decided they will still hold the mandatory primary but they’re sticking with the traditional caucus and said those votes will be the only ones that count, citing concerns over mail-in-ballot fraud.
Haley could have chosen to fight Trump for delegates by appearing on the caucus ballot. However, even if Haley wins the primary, it won’t count for anything. Haley has largely ignored the state and has marched on to her home state of South Carolina.
Since Nevada isn’t expected to hold a competitive GOP primary race, a lot of people are looking ahead to the South Carolina Republican primary on Feb. 24. However, Trump held rallies over the weekend in Las Vegas, noting Haley’s absence.
Nevada’s Democratic primary will be held Tuesday, Feb. 6, three days after the party’s South Carolina primary.
