Just moments after the polls closed, multiple outlets called the Nevada caucus for Donald Trump (in fact, ABC reportedly made the call a few seconds early). With all precincts reporting, Trump has 45.9 percent of the vote, followed by Marco Rubio at 23.9 percent, Ted Cruz at 21.4 percent, Ben Carson at 4.8 percent, and John Kasich at 3.6 percent. This is Trump’s third straight win, following the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries.
Turnout was high on Tuesday, and organizers were reportedly overwhelmed at some locations. There were also complaints on social media about caucus workers wearing Trump paraphernalia, prompting the Nevada Republican Party to release a statement noting, “Volunteers went through extensive training & are doing a great job.”
Trump was widely expected to win in Nevada, after leading every recent poll by double digits. The New York Times reports the mood at his rally in the Treasure Island casino was jubilant, with his supporters brandishing “Trump signs and flags and a few Bud Lights.” When CNN projected Trump would win the race there was a minute-long cheer, which switched to boos when Cruz was mentioned.
It was nearly an hour before Trump took the stage, and the networks were pretty excited about what he had to say.
“We love Nevada. Thank you, thank you,” Trump said when he finally emerged. “A couple of months ago we weren’t expected to win this one … Now we’re winning, winning, winning. And soon the country is going to start winning, winning, winning.”
Trump also preemptively knocked the pundits who will note that when you add together the other candidates, a majority of Nevadans actually didn’t vote Trump. “They keep forgetting that when people drop out, we’re going to get a lot of votes!” he declared.
Trump concluded by saying that from here on out he’s going to be “greedy” for states. “We’re going to grab and grab and grab,” he said. “Now, we’re going to get greedy for the United States.”
This post has been updated throughout.
