Hillary Clinton has pulled out a crucial victory in Nevada’s Democratic presidential caucuses Saturday, overcoming an unexpectedly strong surge by Bernie Sanders and easing the anxiety of some of her supporters. At least 83 percent of the expected votes were in when she made her speech, with Clinton ahead of Sanders 52.4% to 47.5%. The entrance and exit polls from Nevada suggested that Bernie, after a late surge, had earned a majority of Hispanic votes, but it remains to be seen if that was true.
Advertisement
In a victory speech at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Clinton alluded to skeptics who thought she would falter in the Silver State, praising her supporters for their fidelity to her campaign.
The report said Sanders’ Nevada campaign was not in disarray only because “there really was no Nevada campaign”. That’s why Clinton is up by 25 percentage points in the SC polls.
Clinton is scoring higher among more educated and higher-income caucus-goers, while Sanders is prevailing among those with lower incomes and less schooling.
“This one’s for you”, Clinton said in Nevada Saturday after her victory was announced. The first Southern Democratic contest comes just a few days before a major set of nomination contests known as super Tuesday.
According to the entrance poll in Nevada, Clinton won black voters 76 percent to 22 percent.
The Clinton camp hoped that her disappointing showing in the predominantly white early nominating states would quickly be erased once the nomination process moved to states with an ethnic makeup more representative of the wider electorate.
Last Feb. 2 at the Iowa caucuses, the former first lady also beat Sanders, though by the most minuscule of margins (49,86 percent to 49,57 percent). Clinton has polled well with the African-American community thus far.
Advertisement
In Nevada there was record voter turn out for the Democratic Caucus among the younger college crowds. Clinton will be looking to replicate her victory among moderates in Nevada, besting Sanders 59 percent to 37 percent. Republicans hold their caucuses in Nevada on Tuesday, while Democrats clash in SC on February 27.
