Reuters :
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley suffered an embarrassing defeat in Nevada’s primary on Tuesday, finishing behind ballots marked “none of these candidates” by supporters of Donald Trump, according to Edison Research.
Haley, the last remaining rival to frontrunner Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, was the only major Republican candidate contesting the party’s Nevada primary on Tuesday. Trump was not on the ballot.
U.S. President Joe Biden easily won Nevada’s Democratic presidential primary after dominating his party’s first nominating contest in South Carolina on Saturday.
With more than 70% of votes counted, Biden had 90% support. Biden, as an incumbent president, faces little opposition within his own party to running for re-election in a likely general election rematch with Trump in November.
Former President Trump will secure all of Nevada’s delegates in a separate caucus vote on Thursday, as he moves closer to clinching the nomination after back-to-back wins in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Trump did not compete in Tuesday’s primary, which carried no weight in the Republican presidential nominating contest. Haley is not on the ballot in Thursday’s caucus.
Republican voters could mark their ballots “none of these candidates” in Tuesday’s primary, and Haley has infuriated Trump by refusing to drop out of the Republican nominating contest.
With over two-thirds of the Republican ballots counted, Haley had 32% of the votes, with “none of these candidates” at over 61% and the winner, according to Edison Research.