Donald Trump Projected to Win Nevada’s Republican Caucus

Long lines, allegations of double voting at Las Vegas caucus sites; Rubio says he can unify Republicans, appeals to Democrats; Trump, Nevada GOP warn not to videotape caucuses; Ted Cruz compares himself to Reagan running against Jimmy Carter.

News Agencies

Feb 24, 2016 3:52 PM

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to address the crowd after several television networks declared him the winner of the Nevada Republican caucus, February 23, 2016. — Reuters

24.02.2016
Trump vows to keep Guantanamo open if elected president
24.02.2016
Trump celebrates, predicts GOP presidential nomination
24.02.2016
Poll results: 7 out of 10 who prefer outsider support Trump
24.02.2016
Donald Trump projected to win Nevadas Republican caucus

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News Agencies

24.02.2016 | 15:51

Trump vows to keep Guantanamo open if elected president

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is basking in his Nevada caucus victory by vowing to keep the open the military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Trump tells supporters gathered at the Treasure Island hotel in Las Vegas that he'll keep open the facility that President Obama is working to close. He says, "We're going to load it up with a lot of bad dudes out there."

Trump also drew loud cheers for his vow to build a wall along the southern border and his instance that Mexico will pay for it.

Trump offered shout-outs from the stage to several of his billionaire friends, including Phil Ruffin, who owns the Treasure Island, and casino developer Steve Wynn.

"Now we're going to get greedy for the United States," he says.

News Agencies

24.02.2016 | 08:07

Trump celebrates, predicts GOP presidential nomination

Donald Trump celebrated his win in the Nevada Republican caucuses with a prediction that he'll soon claim the GOP presidential nomination.

The billionaire businessman told supporters in Las Vegas that, "it's going to be an amazing two months."

Supporters of presidential candidate Donald Trump celebrate as television networks declare him the winner of the Nevada Republican caucuses, February 23, 2016. Reuters

The crowd greeted the presidential candidate with chants of "Trump" and "U.S.A."

Trump has won three contests in a row after finishing second in the leadoff Iowa caucuses. He's in a strong position headed into next week's Super Tuesday contests, where voters in a dozen states will cast ballots in presidential primaries.

News Agencies

24.02.2016 | 07:37

Poll results: 7 out of 10 who prefer outsider support Trump

Nevada caucuses winner Donald Trump was supported by 7 in 10 of those who preferred an outsider, according to early results of the entrance poll conducted for the Associated Press and television networks.

Nevada caucus attendees were more likely than primary or caucus attendees in any state so far to prefer an outsider candidate, the preliminary results show.

Marco Rubio was supported by a majority of Nevada caucus-goers who wanted to support a candidate with political experience over a political outsider.

That's a silver lining for Rubio. Nevada is the first state where any candidate earned majority support among those wanting a candidate with political experience over an outsider.

News Agencies

24.02.2016 | 07:01

Donald Trump projected to win Nevadas Republican caucus

Donald Trump projected to win Nevadas Republican caucus. Marco Rubio leads Ted Cruz for second place with three percent of the vote counted.

Donald Trump in Las Vegas, Nevada, Feb. 23, 2016. AFP

News Agencies

24.02.2016 | 05:47

Most GOP caucus-goers in Nevada angry with government

Republican caucus-goers in Nevada are older and angrier than in previous GOP contests https://t.co/19B8JMBJc9 pic.twitter.com/aSrO8XcDrN
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 24, 2016

Among early arrivals at Nevada's Republican caucuses, nearly 6 in 10 say they are angry at the way the government is working. Entrance polls conducted as people arrived at caucus locations in Nevada show another third saying they are dissatisfied with the government.

Those early arrivals are most likely to say the top issues facing the country are the economy or government spending, each listed by about 3 in 10 caucus. Immigration and terrorism were each chosen by slightly fewer — about 2 in 10.

The survey was being conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks by Edison Research as Republican voters arrive at 25 randomly selected caucus sites in Nevada. The preliminary results include interviews with 925 Republican caucus-goers and have a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

News Agencies

24.02.2016 | 05:27

Long lines, allegations of double voting at Las Vegas caucus site

As Nevada Republicans caucus across the state, the Republican National Committee says it is concerned about reports of double voting at a troubled caucus site in Las Vegas.

RNC spokesman Fred Brown acknowledges there have been reports Tuesday night of double voting, long lines and not enough ballots at Palo Verde High School. Some people were being turned away and directed to another location.

Candidate Donald Trump stopped by the school as part of his last-minute campaigning.

Brown says the double-voting problem appears to be limited to one part of a caucus site where different precincts have been combined. The party plans to compare the number of paper ballots cast to the sign-in sheet to determine whether any double voting actually occurred.

Other caucus sites appear to be running smoothly with no reports of difficulty.

Donald Trump at Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, Feb. 23, 2016. Reuters

News Agencies

24.02.2016 | 04:21

Rubio says he can unify Republicans, appeals to Democrats

Marco Rubio says he can unify Republicans before the November election and appeal to Democrats who "never" vote for GOP candidates.

The Florida senator spoke Tuesday night during a rally at a western Michigan auto supplier, two weeks before the state's primary.

Rubio says Republicans must win the presidency and the GOP race "cannot be about just making a point." In an apparent shot at Donald Trump, Rubio told a crowd of more than 1,000 that he himself didn't become a conservative when he thought about running for president.

Rubio says he would rebuild a "gutted" U.S. military but de-emphasize the federal government's role in other matters, leaving those issues to state and local governments.

Rubio has framed the 2016 election as a "generational choice" and told his Michigan audience that it's time for "our generation to rise up and do our part."

Marco Rubio at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, Feb. 23, 2016. Bloomberg

News Agencies

24.02.2016 | 04:17

Trump, Nevada GOP warn not to videotape caucuses

Donald Trump and Nevada Republicans are warning that it's improper to videotape Tuesday night's GOP caucuses.

Trump sent a letter to the state Republican Party complaining that an unnamed Cruz backer was quoted in The Wall Street Journal advising caucus-goers to bring their cell phones and videotape the proceedings Tuesday evening. Past Nevada Republican caucuses have been roiled by allegations of improper behavior.

Nevada Republicans responded by confirming that it is against party rules to record the caucus proceedings.

"The Nevada Republican Party is committed to assuring the caucusing process is free from intimidation, threats or nefarious activity of any kind," the party said in a statement.

News Agencies

24.02.2016 | 00:45

Ted Cruz compares himself to Reagan running against Jimmy Carter

Republican Ted Cruz says he's facing the same sort of opposition from the Washington establishment that tried to take Ronald Reagan out before he unseated Jimmy Carter.

Cruz is campaigning on Nevada's caucus day Tuesday with Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, the grandson of Sen. Paul Laxalt, one of Reagan's best friends. Laxalt introduced Cruz to a crowd of about 400 at an outdoor park in rural Minden during the second of four campaign stops hours before Republicans start to cast their votes.

Cruz said Republicans are asking the same questions about him that they asked of Reagan back then: Can he win? Is he too conservative?

Cruz said the "Reagan Revolution" didn't come from Washington, which he said "despised Reagan." He said Paul Laxalt was among the leaders of a "movement that turned this country around"

Ted Cruz in Reno, Nevada, Feb. 23, 2016. Reuters

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Donald Trump Projected to Win Nevada’s Republican Caucus

Trump vows to keep Guantanamo open if elected president

Trump celebrates, predicts GOP presidential nomination

Poll results: 7 out of 10 who prefer outsider support Trump