President Joe Biden has easily won Tuesday’s Democratic presidential primary in Nevada, his second lopsided victory in four days over a mostly unknown field of challengers. The Associated Press declared Biden the winner based on initial vote results in Washoe County, the second largest in the state, that showed him eclipsing the rest of the field. At the time the race was called, Biden led with about 89% of the vote, with “None of these candidates” a very distant second at about 6%. Self-help author Marianne Williamson was at about 3%. U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota opted to skip the first-in the-west contest in Nevada and did not appear on the ballot.
Quick Read
- Nevada Democratic Primary Victory: President Joe Biden secured a commanding win in the Nevada Democratic presidential primary, marking his second significant victory within four days against largely unknown opponents.
- Declaration of Winner: The Associated Press announced Biden as the winner at 11:39 p.m. ET, relying on early vote counts from Washoe County, where Biden led with approximately 89% of the vote.
- Vote Distribution: Biden’s closest competition came from the “None of these candidates” option at about 6%, followed by Marianne Williamson at 3%. U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips did not participate in the Nevada contest.
- Clark County Results: Subsequent results, especially from Clark County, Nevada’s most populous area, reinforced Biden’s victory, where he achieved around 90% of the vote, significantly surpassing his 2020 performance.
- Comparison with 2020: The primary results showed a stark contrast to the 2020 Democratic caucuses in Nevada, where Biden had less support, indicating an expanded base in the state.
- Delegate Allocation: Out of 36 national convention delegates available, Biden was allocated 30 by 1:00 a.m. ET, with the remainder to be assigned following the count of additional votes.
- Delegate Qualification: According to Democratic Party rules, any candidate achieving at least 15% of the vote statewide or in a congressional district qualifies for delegates, including the “None of these candidates” choice.
- South Carolina Primary: Prior to Nevada, Biden achieved a resounding victory in South Carolina’s Democratic primary, securing about 96% of the vote.
- New Hampshire Primary: In January, Biden won the New Hampshire primary with approximately 64% of the vote through a write-in campaign, despite skipping the event due to it breaching national party guidelines.
The Associated Press has the story:
President Joe Biden wins Nevada Democratic Primary
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
President Joe Biden has easily won Tuesday’s Democratic presidential primary in Nevada, his second lopsided victory in four days over a mostly unknown field of challengers.
The Associated Press declared Biden the winner based on initial vote results in Washoe County, the second largest in the state, that showed him eclipsing the rest of the field. At the time the race was called, Biden led with about 89% of the vote, with “None of these candidates” a very distant second at about 6%. Self-help author Marianne Williamson was at about 3%. U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota opted to skip the first-in the-west contest in Nevada and did not appear on the ballot.
Since declaring Biden the winner, vote results in seven additional counties confirmed Biden’s win, most notably in Clark County, home of Las Vegas and by far Nevada’s most populous. As of 1 a.m. ET, Biden led in Clark with about 90% of the vote, a vast improvement over the 24% he received there in the 2020 Democratic caucuses. That year, his showing in Clark was enough to earn him second place statewide because of its massive population, even though he finished third or worse in the rest of the state. Although results from the caucuses don’t provide an exact point of comparison, Tuesday’s primary results do indicate the president now enjoys a much broader base of support in Nevada than he did against a highly competitive field four years ago.
Biden will also win the lion’s share of national convention delegates at stake in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. As of 1:00 a.m. ET, The Associated Press had allocated 30 of the state’s 36 delegates at stake to Biden. The remaining delegates will be awarded once additional votes are counted. According to party rules, any candidate who receives at least 15% of the vote either at the statewide level or in a congressional district will qualify for delegates. This includes the “None of these candidates” option that Nevada law requires to appear on the ballot for statewide elections.
On Saturday, Biden scored another big win in South Carolina, where he received about 96% of the vote in the party’s first official contest of the presidential primary campaign. In January, he skipped the unauthorized New Hampshire primary because it violated national party rules. He won the event anyway with about 64% of the vote after supporters mounted a write-in campaign on his behalf.
