Trump projected to win Nevada caucus

Businessman Donald Trump inched closer to the US Republican presidential nomination after easily outdistancing his rivals in the Nevada caucuses, giving him his third win in four early nominating contests. Entrance polls in Nevada captured the sentiment propelling Trump’s insurgent campaign: Six in 10 caucus goers said they were angry with the way the government is working, and Trump got about half of them. Just a bit down the road, on March 15, John Kasich and Marco Rubio will face similarly existential moments in their home states, with the added fear factor that both are winner-take-all contests. Rubio was out to prove he can build on recent momentum, while Cruz was looking for a spark to help him recover from a particularly rocky stretch in his campaign. And it’s not one that’s gotten much attention from the GOP candidates. But if Rubio wins over enough of Jeb Bush’s old supporters to claim Florida’s 99-delegate jackpot, it could mark a long-awaited turning point in the race.

On Wednesday, Cruz won the endorsement of the governor in his home state of Texas – Greg Abbott.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) shook off his disappointing third-place finish in Tuesday’s Nevada caucus during a rally in Houston Wednesday saying, “I believe we are poised to have a very good night on Super Tuesday”. And after winning his third-straight contest in Nevada Tuesday, Trump credited his “poorly educated” supporters, in part, for the win.

The Nevada State Republican caucus results page said 24.8 percent of the vote had been tallied.

It also proves Trump can win anywhere, even in a complicated caucus state like Nevada, where his campaign made little investment in organization.

Trump said, “We’ve had some great numbers coming out of Texas”. And if Trump wins the Florida primary two weeks later, that would all but eliminate Marco Rubio from the race.

As for Sandoval, he caucused for a guy who supports Yucca Mountain and does not like gaming, nor does Rubio have the executive experience the governor insisted he wanted. Ted Cruz, who has campaigned hard for their support.

Jon Ralston has been covering Nevada politics for more than a quarter-century.

“They’re now all starting to consolidate across the spectrum in this party, with the understanding that if we don’t come together we’re never going to be able to provide a clear alternative to the direction that Donald Trump wants to take the Republican party and the country”, Rubio said. It’s interesting to note that while most GOP voters don’t consider Trump a conservative, exit polls in SC and Nevada show him winning among conservative and evangelical voters over more overtly conservative candidates.

Broadcast networks called the state for Trump nearly immediately after voting ended, with the state Republican Party confirming the victory soon after.

A large chunk of Texas voters also agree with Trump that Cruz is a “liar”, as 37 percent say he is the candidate who has been the least honest during the campaign.