No candidate won the Republican primary in the American state of Nevada on Tuesday, a setback for Nikki Haley who nevertheless had practically no competitor against her, in an election devoid of stakes due to the electoral rules retained by the Republican Party.
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There were more ballots marked “none of these candidates” (61%) than those in favor of Nikki Haley (32%), according to the official results of this election. Donald Trump was not among the candidates.
This result, even if it has no consequences, is a new setback for Nikki Haley, the only candidate still in the running against Trump, who has already lost to the former president in Iowa and New Hampshire and seems off to a bad start in his home state of South Carolina at the end of February.
- Listen to the American political column with Professor Luc Laliberté via QUB :
The Nevada Republican primary was non-challenging, due to the complicated electoral rules adopted by the Republican Party.
In fact, it was not used to choose the 26 state delegates who will participate in nominating the Republican candidate for the White House. These delegates will be chosen Thursday during “caucuses”, local assemblies held in schools or gymnasiums, in which Nikki Haley does not participate and where Donald Trump is the only major candidate.
This illegible system, which sows confusion among voters, is due to disagreements between Nevada authorities and the Republican Party.
Nevada chose in 2021 to change its electoral system, and abandon its traditional caucuses for primaries that allow voting by mail.
But in an America where Donald Trump is still contesting his 2020 defeat against Joe Biden, voting by mail is the subject of conspiracy theories likening it to a scheme to manipulate the results. The “Grand Old Party” therefore chose to maintain its caucuses, which must be attended in person.
And he ruled that only the outcome of the caucuses would count toward the nomination, further barring candidates in Tuesday’s primaries from participating in Thursday’s caucuses. Nikki Haley will therefore not be able to compete.
