Rivals Look for Answers as Donald Trump Wins Nevada Caucuses

The 46 percent of the vote he received is by far the highest share won by Trump, or any other Republican, in any state so far.

Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the South Point Hotel & Casino on February 22, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Nevada was a critical test for Mr Rubio and Mr Cruz, the two senators battling to emerge as the clear alternative to the Republican front-runner.

Trump carries a great deal of momentum headed into Super Tuesday as Rubio and Cruz continue to struggle to break through past second place. Ted Cruz came in third place in the state with around 21 percent, Ben Carson came in fourth with around 4.8, and John Kasich came in last with about 3.6 percent. What are the chances of a contested convention for the first time in four decades? – are likely to be true.

“A lot of Republicans – especially the Republican establishment, professionals, governors – don’t really want Trump to win the nomination”, Mr. Lee said.

The billionaire reality TV star trounced his rivals with a resounding victory which sent shockwaves across the Republican party as he swept nearly every category of the electorate to build his dominance in the delegate count.

Speaking with his supporters in Las Vegas, Cruz said he is the only “consistent conservative” candidate left who can beat Trump.

Trump, who was on the show following Rubio, insisted “Marco can say what he wants” while not offering specifics on how he’ll “get all those things fixed” that have voters angry. This seems to have given him a head start over his competitors including Ted Cruz who also attracts core Republican support base.

Both Cruz and Rubio will now trail Trump by about 60 delegates. “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters”, Mr. Trump had said.

Trump won 55 percent of the voters who described themselves as “moderate”, according to the poll. Cruz’s home state of Texas is up first on Tuesday, and two weeks later Trump will take on Rubio in Florida.

Trump said on Twitter that “Mitt Romney, who totally blew an election that should have been won and whose tax returns made him look like a fool, is now playing tough guy”.

Thirteen states vote in Republican contests on March 1, known as Super Tuesday, and Trump suggested after winning Nevada that he was closing in on the nomination. He also easily won New Hampshire after losing a squeaker to Cruz in Iowa.

Unlike primaries, caucuses allow participants to openly engage with one another and hear arguments from candidates’ supporters or surrogates, in meetings at schools, community centers and churches. Winning one or more of them is possible.