Bernie Sanders will win the Nevada caucus, NBC News projects, cementing his front-runner status
Meanwhile, Biden and Warren aimed to inject life into once promising presidential campaigns. The former vice president argued his Nevada finish will put him back on the path to the nomination.
“We’re alive, and we’re going to come back, and we’re going to win,” he told supporters on Saturday.
The state Democratic Party has said roughly 75,000 people voted early in the caucuses. They picked a favorite and at least two more candidates in case their first choice did not meet the 15% viability threshold needed in most precincts.
The state holds more than 2,000 precinct caucuses. Voters whose first choice did not meet the level of support needed could change preference after the initial round of caucusing.
Nevada added early voting to the caucuses for the first time this year, which complicated data reporting. Results came in later than in prior years as vote counters for the National Election Pool, a consortium of news organizations, reported confusion about vote counting rules or how to incorporate the early vote in at least six of the 63 locations where they were collecting data.
In a statement to NBC News on Saturday afternoon, Nevada Democratic Party spokeswoman Molly Forgey said the caucuses were running “smoothly.”
About two-thirds, 65%, of caucus voters were white, according to entrance polling data. Another 19% identified as Hispanic or Latino, while 10% identified as black. Sanders appeared to have a massive edge among Hispanic or Latino voters with roughly half of support, according to entrance polls. Biden had a smaller lead among black voters.
Sanders was the only viable candidate in at least one one heavily Hispanic precinct at the East Las Vegas Community Center. At another, Sanders and Biden were the only candidates to hit the viability threshold.
Out of four issues — health care, climate change, income inequality and foreign policy — 43% of voters chose health care as the most important topic they considered when deciding whom to support, according to entrance polls. Another 26% picked climate change.
Meanwhile, 18% chose income inequality, and 9% picked foreign policy.
More than six-in-ten voters, 62%, said they support replacing private insurance with a single government plan. About a third, 35%, said they oppose such a system.
Sanders backs a single-payer “Medicare for All” system, which led the powerful UNITE HERE Culinary Workers Union Local 226 in Las Vegas to criticize him. The organization did not endorse one of his opponents, however.
Two thirds of voters consider themselves liberal, while 34% identify as moderate or conservative, according to entrance surveys. Sanders has a significant lead among liberals, and is neck-and-neck with Biden among moderate or conservative voters.
— CNBC’s Tucker Higgins contributed reporting from Las Vegas, Nev.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/22/nevada-caucus-2020-live-results-and-updates.html