Former President Donald Trump is poised to win the Republican-run Nevada caucuses on Thursday, expanding his delegate lead over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the GOP presidential race.
Ms. Haley is not participating in the party-run caucuses, but the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. is looking to score some bragging rights Tuesday with a victory in the Trumpless state-run primary race.
President Biden is on the Democratic primary ballot and is expected to cruise to victory.
The two Republican contests just days apart in Nevada have generated some head-scratching about the dueling events and the lack of a head-to-head matchup between Mr. Trump and Ms. Haley.
The situation is the outcome of a disagreement between the Nevada GOP and a state law passed in 2021 that established the state-run primary in an attempt to replace the caucus format.
Republicans thumbed their collective nose at the idea.
They are sticking with the caucus tradition and that will determine what matters most: who is awarded the state’s 26 delegates to the Republican National Convention this summer.
Mr. Trump is urging his supporters to zero in on the caucuses.
Coming off sizable victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, Mr. Trump says the nomination race is all but over, and Ms. Haley should bow out. Ms. Haley says the race is just beginning and plans to keep running at least through the Super Tuesday contests on March 5.
Ms. Haley is now focused on delivering a strong showing in the Feb. 24 primary in her home state of South Carolina. On Monday, the Haley team announced she raised $16.5 million in January. It’s likely enough money to keep her campaign chugging along.
Ms. Haley says there is still a path to beating Mr. Trump in the chase for the 1,215 delegates needed to capture the party’s nomination.
Mr. Trump has 32 delegates, and Ms. Haley has 17.
But the Haley team decided to cede Nevada’s 26 delegates to Mr. Trump, saying they did not think the Trump-friendly state party would have given them a fair shake.
“We have not spent a dime nor an ounce of energy on Nevada,” said Betsy Ankney, Haley’s campaign manager. “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.”
Ms. Haley will instead appear on the primary ballot. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, and former Vice President Mike Pence, both of whom ended their presidential bids last year, also are on the ballot.
Ms. Haley’s biggest rival could be the “none of these candidates” option on the ballot that opens up the possibility of her losing the race — or failing to meet expectations — despite Mr. Trump’s absence.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.