Story update 2/7/24: Nevada's primary was held on Feb. 6. At the time the race was called, the option of “None of these candidates” led with about 60% of the vote. Nikki Haley, the only major candidate on the ballot, received 33%.
Unlike most states, Nevada will have two Republican presidential contests in February.
The state-run Republican presidential primary falls on Feb. 6, followed by the state Republican party’s caucus two days later on Feb. 8.
The two separate contests have led to confusion online, with some people wondering why Trump’s name isn’t on the state’s primary ballot and others suggesting the omission points to election interference.
But social media posts claim Trump’s name is intentionally absent from that ballot because candidates in Nevada’s primary cannot win any delegates.
THE QUESTION
Is it true that the winner of Nevada’s Republican primary won't receive any delegates?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
The winner of Nevada’s state-run Republican primary won’t get any delegates. Instead, the Nevada Republican Party will award delegates to the winner of the caucus.
WHAT WE FOUND
The Nevada Republican Party opted out of the 2024 state-run primary. Instead, the party decided the caucus it runs will be the only way for candidates to earn delegates to the Republican convention that will help determine who eventually wins the presidential nomination.
For more on the roles states and political parties play in organizing elections, read our story here.
A 2021 Nevada law requires the state to hold a presidential preference primary. But that election is “non-binding” and “major parties are responsible for how they select their nominee for president, “ the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office said in an email.
Nevada Republicans’ rules also bar any candidates whose names are on the primary ballot from participating in its caucus, meaning candidates can’t be on both ballots. The party previously said its decision was “in protest of Nevada Democrats’ overreaching legislation which inserted the state into the inner workings of political parties and the selection of their presidential candidate.”
That means candidates appearing on the Republican primary ballot, including former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, cannot earn any delegates in Nevada and their victory would be more of a symbolic one.
It’s unclear why Haley chose to run in the primary instead of the caucus. VERIFY reached out to her campaign but did not receive a response by the time of publishing.
Trump did not file for the presidential preference primary and is instead participating in the party-run Republican caucus, the Secretary of State’s office confirmed.
That’s why Trump’s name isn’t on the primary ballot and why he is essentially guaranteed to earn all of the state’s delegate votes. His only other challenger in the party-run caucus is longshot candidate Ryan Binkley.
People can vote in both the GOP primary and caucus in Nevada, but they must be registered Republican voters to do so.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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