'Imagine Losing 2-1 To None Of The Above': Nikki Haley Suffers Devastating Defeat In Nevada Primary

On Tuesday, voters in Nevada took to the polls to cast their ballot in the state's primary and subsequently humiliate former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC), who, despite 45th President Donald Trump not being on the ballot for the Nevada primary, was unable to get a majority of the vote as over 60 percent of Republicans decided to vote for "None of the Above." 

The primary, the first of two primary contests in which Republicans will be participating, only had a handful of candidates on the ballot, including many who had already dropped out of the race. Some other candidates on the ballot were former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and others. The final tally on primary night resulted in Haley picking up only 30.5 percent support, while "None of the Above" was chosen by 63.2 percent of Silver State Republicans.

In response to the devastating defeat, Trump took to Truth Social to write, "A bad night for Nikki Haley. Losing by almost 30 points in Nevada to 'None of These Candidates.' Watch, she'll soon claim Victory!" Trump campaign senior advisor Chris LaCivita also mocked Haley's crushing defeat and said it was only the beginning, with the South Carolina primary just weeks away. "More embarrassment coming in South Carolina …the [Nikki Haley] Delusional Tour continues," he wrote. "Imagine losing 2-1 to 'None of the Above,'" wrote Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

While the Trump campaign delivered a crushing victory to Haley, it is important to note that Haley hasn't been campaigning in the state for over three months. Her campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, explained on Monday, "In terms of Nevada, we have not spent a dime nor an ounce of energy on Nevada. So Nevada is not and has never been our focus." The Haley campaign has been all in on her home state of South Carolina in an attempt to put up a good enough showing to justify staying the race through Super Tuesday. Her hopes to wrestle back the momentum from Donald Trump on February 24 is slim, however, given recent polling showing Trump with 63 percent support compared to Haley's 31.9 percent.

President Trump will participate in the Nevada caucus on Thursday, where he is expected to win in a landslide. The dual primary contests came about when Nevada Democrats, who controlled the state government in 2021, changed the presidential primary contest from a caucus to a state-run primary. The Nevada GOP, which is heavily aligned with the 45th president, decided to hold the caucus anyway and bar any candidates who participated in the primary from also participating in the caucus. While Trump wasn't on the ballot during the primary, Haley will not be an option to support in the caucus.

After Republicans once again handed another humiliating defeat to Nikki Haley, voters in South Carolina are looking to end the primary once and for all by supporting President Trump on February 24.

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