In Trump’s absence, Haley outvoted in Nevada primary by ‘None of These Candidates’

LAS VEGAS - US presidential candidate Nikki Haley was outvoted in Nevada’s Republican presidential primary by a “None of These Candidates” option on the ballot on Feb 6, an embarrassment in a contest in which she faced no direct competition.

The primary, which awards no delegates, had seemed like a foregone conclusion, as former President Donald Trump chose not to take part, The Associated Press reported.

On Feb 8, he will instead participate in party-run caucuses where all of the state’s 26 delegates will be awarded, a choice by Nevada Republicans that complicated the process and rendered the primary basically irrelevant.

Mrs Haley was still expected to win the primary, as the top vote-getter after “None of These Candidates,” according to state rules.

But Mrs Haley skipped campaigning in Nevada entirely, choosing instead to spend her time in South Carolina, her home state and where the next primary will take place, after Trump easily won the first two nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. Mrs Haley is expected to hold a rally in California, a Super Tuesday state, on Feb 7.

Supporters of Trump in Nevada, including Governor Joe Lombardo, had advocated selecting “None of These Candidates” on the primary ballot as a protest vote against Mrs Haley. Republicans can then vote for Trump in the caucuses two days later, where he is essentially running unopposed after Mrs Haley, his last major rival standing, chose not to compete.

The fact that a “none of the above” option could overpower any enthusiasm from the supporters of Mrs Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, is another blow to her slim chances of winning the nomination over Trump, who maintains a commanding lead in polls. It also blunts any effort of hers to demonstrate momentum or score at least a symbolic victory.

Critics of the dual primary-caucus system in Nevada, including those in Mrs Haley’s camp, have suggested that the state Republican Party set it up to benefit Trump, which the party has denied. Michael McDonald, the state party chair, was one of the people indicted in the fake elector scheme to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

“We have not spent a dime nor an ounce of energy on Nevada,” said Ms Betsy Ankney, Mrs Haley’s campaign manager, said on Feb 6. “We made the decision early on that we were not going to pay US$55,000 (S$73,900) to a Trump entity to participate in a process that was rigged for Trump.”

The confusing system was criticised by Mr Lombardo, a Republican, who called it “unacceptable for the voters” in an interview with a local news media outlet in 2023.

Nevada has traditionally held caucuses but passed a law in 2021 doing away with them and switching to a primary, with mail-in ballots as an option alongside in-person voting. The state’s Republican Party decided to host its own contest – an in-person caucus – and forced candidates to pick one race to participate in. NYTIMES