There were 30 delegates at stake in Nevada, and a whopping 595 available one week later on Super Tuesday bonanza.
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Trump’s wins give him an early lead among delegates who will actually decide the Republican nomination.
The maverick billionaire’s Republican presidential rivals were looking for momentum in Nevada a week before the all-important Super Tuesday primaries, but Trump refused to falter even after the field had dwindled to just five remaining candidates.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio came in second with 25 percent of the vote, while Texas Senator Ted Cruz finished in third place with 21 percent, according to the projections.
“‘We will be celebrating for a long time tonight”, Trump told his supporters Tuesday night.
Mr Cruz placed third in three consecutive state races and Mr Rubio had a major stumble in a debate before the New Hampshire primary.
This suggests that the Rubio-Cruz strategy of winning enough of the anti-Trump faction to be the single, clear alternative may be built on sand.
Many people were expecting Marco Rubio to do much better as Jeb Bush, another Republican establishment favorite has relinquished the race to gain the GOP nomination for the United States presidential elections 2016. The former reality television star called Cruz “sick”. Other Republicans say Trump’s proposals – a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S. – will alienate moderate voters in the fall general election, as will his harsh comments about women, migrants, protesters, and others who criticize him. But he predicted a win in his home state of Florida, during an appearance on CBS’ “This Morning”. Lagging behind in the Republican race are Ohio Governor John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
Donald Trump has emerged the decisive victor of Nevada’s Republican caucuses, leaving his main rivals battling for second place. “I love the poorly educated”. Trump has held several large rallies in the state, but Rubio and Cruz have spent months developing a stronger ground game which might help get their supporters to the caucus sites.
“We’re winning, winning, winning the country”, Mr Trump declared.
Trump’s finish may have been most damaging for Cruz, who fired his top spokesman Monday for spreading a video that misrepresented comments Rubio made about the Bible.
The victory was marred by allegations of voting irregularities, caucus officials wearing Trump campaign clothing and a shortage of ballot papers.
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A candidate must have 1,237 state delegates to win the Republican nomination at the National Convention this summer. Those who cared most about government spending were slightly more likely to support Trump than Rubio or Cruz.
