Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), who lost the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire GOP presidential primary to former President Donald Trump, recently garnered less than 35% of the vote in the Nevada primary, which the former president was not a part of.
Nikki Haley got smoked by “None of these candidates” in the Nevada primary.@kleavittnh: “Republican voters literally chose NOBODY over Nikki Haley, because they realize she is a Democrat.”
GOP voters are sending her a message: they want President Trump. pic.twitter.com/gaCm9C044J
— Daniel Baldwin (@baldwin_daniel_) February 7, 2024
Haley received just 31% of votes in Nevada, while 63% of individuals who participated in the primary chose “None of These Candidates.” The results demonstrate Haley’s unpopularity with Republicans, with the Nevada GOP set to award its 26 delegates in the party’s caucus on Feb. 8, 2024, when Trump will be on the ballot.
Nevada’s Democrat-run state legislature previously passed a law requiring a Republican primary to take place, but the state Republican Party chose to maintain its traditional caucus system.
Haley’s 2024 presidential campaign pointed out that it did “not [spend] a dime nor an ounce of energy on Nevada,” accusing the state GOP’s process of being “rigged for Trump.” The former South Carolina governor has focused her efforts on winning the forthcoming Republican presidential primary in South Carolina despite polls showing Trump trouncing her.
The Nevada GOP requires presidential contenders to pay a $55,000 filing fee to participate in the caucus. Those who wrote their name on the ballot for the presidential primary cannot partake in the state GOP’s caucus.
“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 was rigged for Trump,” Haley’s campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, said.
“So Nevada is not and has never been our focus,” Ankney continued. “Truly not sure what the Trump team is out to there, but they seem pretty spun up about it. But we are focused on South Carolina.”
Alongside Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) participated in the Nevada primary before ending their presidential campaigns.
Pence received just 4% of the vote in Nevada, while Scott garnered a little over 1%.
Following the primary results, Trump took to Truth Social, where he mocked Haley for losing the contest by more than 30 percentage points.
“A bad night for Nikki Haley. Losing by almost 30 points in Nevada to ‘None of These Candidates,’” he wrote. “Watch, she’ll soon claim Victory!”
