LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley lost the Republican first-in-the-West Nevada primary to the “none of these candidates” option, an embarrassing display as she seeks to win the GOP presidential over former President Donald Trump.
With 62% of the ballots tallied, “none of these candidates” had 62% of the vote, while Haley had 32%, and former Vice President Mike Pence, who dropped out of the race last year, netted 4% of the vote. The Associated Press called the race shortly after midnight EST, two hours after the polls closed.
Nevada law requires primary elections for president and statewide offices to provide an option to vote for “none of these candidates.” Despite the loss, Haley did not lose or gain any delegates due to the state GOP awarding the 26 delegates according to results from Thursday caucuses, which will feature Trump as the only big-name candidate on the ballot.
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Trump and his allies immediately pounced on Haley’s defeat.
“A bad night for Nikki Haley. Losing by almost 30 points in Nevada to ‘None of These Candidates.’ Watch, she’ll soon claim Victory!” Trump posted on Truth Social early Wednesday morning, referring to Haley’s triumphant concession speech after she lost last month’s New Hampshire primary.
Haley’s campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez Cubas downplayed the results because the former South Carolina governor had written off the state.
“Even Donald Trump knows that when you play penny slots the house wins,” she said. “We didn’t bother to play a game rigged for Trump. We’re full steam ahead in South Carolina and beyond.”
In a decision that has stirred up some confusion, Nevada is holding both a primary and caucuses this week.
The state is running the Tuesday primary for both the Republican and Democratic parties. But only the caucuses, run by the state GOP, will be used to award delegates in the Republican presidential primary.
It has led to much confusion among voters. Maura Bivens, a Nevada Republican club member, told the Washington Examiner she voted for Haley in the primary. “I wanted to vote against Trump. And that’s the only way I can choose,” Bivens said. “I really voted for Nikki Haley just to make a statement.”
But she was also unsure about voting in the caucuses.
“I hate to say — can I?” Bivens said. “It shouldn’t be this hard, especially since I’m seeking it out. And I couldn’t find where to go for my caucus.”
Another voter Jeff Wald echoed Bivens when he told the Washington Examiner that “People have been given misinformation about what’s going on, you know, between the caucus and the primary.”
Haley’s campaign forfeited competing in the caucuses and chose to compete in the state’s non-binding primary ballot instead. Nevada law requires primary elections for president and statewide offices to provide an option to vote for “none of these candidates.”
Campaign manager Betsy Ankney accused the Trump campaign of rigging the results of the upcoming caucuses as a reason to not compete in the Silver State.
“We have not spent a dime nor an ounce of energy on Nevada. We aren’t going to pay $55,000 to a Trump entity to participate in a process that is rigged for Trump. Nevada is not and has never been our focus,” Ankney said in a call with reporters on Monday. “I’m truly not sure what the Trump team is up to out there, but they seem pretty spun up about it.”
Haley is the only big-name candidate, excluding Trump, who is competing in the GOP primary. Former Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) had opted to compete in the primary before they ultimately dropped out of the race.
That made the former South Carolina governor’s biggest competition on Tuesday the “none of these candidates” option on the ballot.
A survey released last week by Providence, a collaborative effort between Revere Solutions and DecipherAi, showed 59.2% of Nevada Republican primary would select “none of these candidates” compared to 40.8% who would choose Haley in a hypothetical matchup.
Amy Wood, a Republican nurse, said she voted for none of these candidates in the primary and will caucus for Trump on Thursday. “I’m gonna turn in my primary ballot so that it’s still on the record that I voted in the primary,” Wood said. “But I also want to make a statement that Nevada is important.”
Nevada Republican Lt. Gov. Stavros S. Anthony is also caucusing for Trump and voting for “none of these candidates” in the primary.
“I’ve endorsed President Trump, and I’m supporting President Trump and he’s not on the primary ballot,” he said. “So I’m gonna participate by voting none of the above. And then when I go caucus on Thursday, I’ll be caucusing for President Trump.”
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Haley has largely focused on campaigning in her home state of South Carolina, as she seeks to remain a viable candidate against Trump during the Palmetto State’s Feb. 24 primary. The former president, however, is leading her 53.7% to 26.7%, according to a RealClearPolitics poll average of South Carolina.
Trump trounced all his rivals during the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary last month.
But a decisive victory in South Carolina could knock Haley out of the primary race. Haley’s campaign has claimed it will last through Super Tuesday on March 5.
