Nevada caucuses kick off: Trump expected to sweep Republican delegates after Haley loses symbolic primary

Washington — Republican voters in Nevada will have another chance to vote for their preferred presidential candidate in Thursday's caucuses, and former President Donald Trump will be on the ballot this time. 

The state hosted Republican and Democratic primaries on Tuesday, but Trump did not appear on the GOP ballot because the Nevada Republican Party opted to hold its caucuses and made it the only contest that would allocate the state's 26 delegates. 

But even without Trump on the ballot, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who participated in Tuesday's primary instead of the caucuses, finished second behind "none of these candidates," an embarrassing defeat as she seeks to sell herself as a serious challenger to Trump. 

When are the Nevada Republican caucuses?

The caucuses begin at 5 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m. local time, which is 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET. Caucusgoers can stay for the entire meeting or cast their secret ballots and leave. 

Why isn't Nikki Haley a candidate in the caucuses?

In 2021, Nevada implemented new election laws, including changing the state-run presidential contest to a primary. Still, the Nevada Republican Party said it would hold separate caucuses and penalize candidates who participate in the primary by making them ineligible to receive delegates. 

But Haley, and a couple other candidates who have since ended their presidential campaigns, filed for the primary, despite the results being effectively meaningless. Haley argued that the caucuses were rigged in favor of Trump, and she did not campaign in the state. 

Why wasn't Trump on the Nevada primary ballot?

Trump opted to take part in the party-run caucuses instead of the state-run primary. 

The Nevada Republican Party barred candidates who appeared on the primary ballot from participating in the caucuses. 

What were the results of the Nevada primary?

"None of these candidates" was the top vote-getter on Tuesday, with Haley coming in second. Former Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who dropped out of the race well before the primary but were still on the ballot, placed third and fourth, respectively. 

When will we know Nevada GOP caucus results?

The results will come in as the precincts report them. Trump, the Republican frontrunner, is the only major candidate on the caucus ballot. Little-known candidate Ryan Binkley, a pastor and businessman, is also on the ballot. 

What is the current Republican delegate count?

Before Nevada's caucuses, Trump had an estimated 33 delegates, compared to Haley's 17. There are 26 delegates up for grabs in the Nevada caucuses. 

In:
• Donald Trump
• Republican Party
• Nevada
• Nevada Caucus
• Nikki Haley

Caitlin Yilek

Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at cbsnews.com and is based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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