Donald Trump is certain to win Nevada’s Republican presidential delegates — but some voters who want to back the former president are confused about why they can’t find him on their ballots.
It’s the result of a dueling 2024 system in which the Silver State will hold two GOP contests within three days: the state government-run primary on February 6, where Trump isn’t on the ballot and no delegates are at stake, and the Nevada Republican Party-run caucuses on February 8, where the former president faces no serious opposition to win the state’s 26 delegates.
What’s confounding some voters who are casting early primary ballots is that the choices in the two elections are entirely different.
Trump is only participating in the caucuses and thus isn’t on primary ballots. Meanwhile, his lone remaining major 2024 GOP rival, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, is on the primary ballot and isn’t participating in the caucuses.
“In your state, you have both a primary and you have a caucus. Don’t worry about the primary, just do the caucus thing,” Trump told attendees at a Las Vegas rally last month.
However, some Trump supporters who weren’t aware of the distinction said they were baffled.
“I was like, why is the guy that I want to vote for not on this thing?” said Leslie Miller, one of many waiting in line for his recent rally there.
“It’s gonna be very confusing for people. It was for me,” said Angela Barsekian, a grandmother of two who said she backed Trump in the previous two presidential elections.
Read more about Nevada’s dueling GOP primary contests.
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