- After 2020’s election, Nevada legislators adjusted how the state holds its primaries.
- As a result, there will be a Republican primary and caucus on differing days.
- Haley will appear on the primary ballot, whereas Trump will be on the caucus one.
Following the primary in New Hampshire, all eyes are on the next opportunity to amass delegates for the nomination, Nevada, where former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley won’t even be on the ballot.
After 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg — who placed third in the state’s primary — insisted to state officials that there were inconsistencies when tabulating caucus results, state legislators passed a law mandating that primary races be run by the state instead of political parties.
While the state of Nevada now has to host primary races for the Democratic and Republican Parties, neither party is required to use those results to divvy up delegates for the presidential nomination.
As a result, the state-run primary will be held on February 6 and the GOP is hosting a caucus two days later to determine who the delegates actually go to. The Nevada Republican Party has also decided that candidates who sign up for the state-run primary will not be allowed to caucus on February 8.
For somewhat unclear reasons, Haley signed up to be included on the state ballot in October, despite there being no way for her to amass any delegates. Trump will be the sole name on the caucus ballot on February 8, which means his campaign will win all of the state's 26 delegates.
After Nevada, the next state primary is South Carolina, where Haley grew up, attended college, and served as governor. As of early January, before the race coalesced into just two candidates, Trump held a sizable lead over his former UN ambassador in polling.