Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has secured a decisive victory in the Nevada caucuses, marking his third consecutive win in the race for the party's nomination after successes in New Hampshire and South Carolina. The billionaire captured 46% of the vote, with senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz trailing at 23% and 21% respectively.
In his victory speech, Trump told supporters, 'We're winning, winning, winning the country, and soon the country is going to start winning, winning, winning.' He highlighted backing from 'poorly educated' voters and Latinos, with entrance polls showing 45% of Latino Republican voters supporting him. Nevada, a crucial swing state with a significant Latino population, saw record turnout at caucus sites.
With all votes counted, Trump won 14 of the 30 available delegates, while Rubio took seven, Cruz six, and John Kasich and Ben Carson one each. Trump now holds 81 delegates overall, compared to 17 each for Rubio and Cruz. To secure the Republican nomination, a candidate needs 1,237 delegates ahead of the July party convention.
Rubio defended his second-place finish, calling it an 'unusual year' and arguing that the non-Trump vote is being split among multiple candidates. 'The sooner we can get this race narrowed down, I think the easier it's going to be to stop Donald Trump,' he said. Party officials investigated reports of double voting and insufficient ballots at one site but confirmed that volunteers wearing Trump attire did not break rules.
Trump's win cements his lead ahead of Super Tuesday on 1 March, when about a dozen states vote. Analysts suggest the result deals a blow to Cruz's campaign and leaves Rubio or Ohio Governor John Kasich with a narrow path to consolidate establishment support. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton won Nevada last week and faces Bernie Sanders next in South Carolina.
