Nevada’s First Presidential Primary Examines Swing State Dynamics

Democratic and Republican voters in Nevada headed to the polls today for the ‘first-in-the-West’ primary election. Nevada is one of six swing states that will get outsized attention in the general election and is the first swing state to vote early, making it a testing ground for the candidates, even if the races aren’t that competitive on paper.

‘In general, Las Vegas has been very transient, and so oftentimes we have to establish those connections for the first time,’ said Fabian Doñate, the Latino Legislative Caucus chair. ‘Our population is very diverse compared to the rest of the country, and so that’s why we’re first in the West.’

Thirty percent of Nevada’s population identifies as Latino. Asian American and Pacific Islanders make up the fastest-growing demographic in the state, and it is also very sprawling with union support and rural voters.

It’s a different process than it has been in the past due to changes made in 2021. That’s when the state implemented several new election laws that implemented all-mail voting, expanded voter registration, and moved the presidential contests from party-run caucuses to state-run primaries.

On Tuesday, both Republicans and Democrats voted in the primary, as is state law. But Republicans will have another opportunity to vote later this week, as the GOP decided to hold their own caucus on Thursday to “protest” the state-run primary.

As a result, former President Donald Trump will only be an option in the Thursday caucus, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will only be an option for primary voters. Still, no law prohibits registered Republican voters from participating in both contests.

The Nevada secretary of state’s office said they have been getting a lot of calls from confused Trump voters throughout the entire election. And state and local election officials say they’ve been directing people to the state party’s website because that’s really all they can do.

Nevada is already in general election mode. Trump held a rally in East Las Vegas last week, and he had a clear message for primary voters.

‘Do the caucus, not the primary. The primary is meaningless,’ Trump warned. Vice President Kamala Harris held her own rally about five minutes away that same night and paid homage to late Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, a Democrat and former Senate majority leader.

‘As the late great Harry Reid always reminded us, if you can win in Nevada, you can win anywhere,’ Harris cheered. ‘So Harry, President Biden and I are going to prove you right once again.’

Ashley Lopez contributed to this story.