The 2024 Nevada Republican presidential primary and caucus were held on February 6 and 8, 2024, respectively, as part of the Republican Party primaries for the 2024 presidential election. 26 delegates to the 2024 Republican National Convention were allocated on a proportional basis in the caucus. They were held following the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.
On August 14, 2023, Republicans in Nevada announced that they would boycott and ignore the non-binding, state-organized primary due to opposition to the establishment of a primary process over the traditional caucus format in the state's presidential preference contests. The state-run primary was held on February 6, while the Nevada Republican Party held its own caucus on February 8.
Nikki Haley lost the popular vote in the non-binding Nevada primary to the ballot option of None of These Candidates. Although None of These Candidates received more votes, Haley was the official winner of the primary. Trump won the party-organized caucus without any major opponent.
Background
Controversy
The Democratic-controlled Nevada Legislature, supported by former senator Harry Reid, moved to establish a presidential primary in 2021 for the Republican and Democratic parties, following the "havoc" of the 2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses. Previously, party-organized caucuses were used to determine delegates in presidential elections. In May 2023, the Republican Party sued the state of Nevada, because they preferred to keep using the caucuses to determine their delegate allocation.
The Republican primary required more than one Republican candidate to file by October 16, 2023. Nevada Republicans said that they would instead hold a party-organized caucus on February 8, 2024. To participate in the caucus, Republican candidates needed to register their candidacy with the Nevada Republican Party in a filing window from September 1, 2023, to October 15, 2023 and needed to pay a fee of $55,000. Multiple media articles also reported that appearing on the primary ballot would bar candidates from participating in the caucus and that party rules about SuperPACs were tightened to protect Trump.
Nikki Haley (as well as two other presidential candidates) still opted for the primary, though they could not win any delegates. As the only remaining major candidate on the primary ballot by the time of the election, she had decided early on not to campaign or spend funds in the state, and her campaign explained that she had not entered the caucus either because the process was in their view "rigged for Trump". Republican state and county leaders reacted by advising voters to choose "None of the Above" instead of Haley to demonstrate their boycott of the primary, leading to early speculation that the option would win the primary instead.
Procedure
Delegates are proportionally allocated to candidates who receive at least 3.85% of the votes in the caucus on February 8, 2024. Votes in the primary on February 6, 2024, will not be included in determining delegate allocation.
Candidates
The filing deadline for the Nevada primary was on October 16, 2023. The office of the Secretary of State of Nevada published the list of qualified candidates on October 20. The filing window for the Nevada caucus was between September 1 and October 15. The party published their own list of candidates and did not allow those who filed for the state-run primary to participate.
The state of Nevada, per a law enacted in 1975, will also allow voters in the primary to cast a vote for "None of these Candidates." Local news outlets in Nevada reported that it was plausible that Nikki Haley could face a competitive race against "None of these candidates" because Nevada voters, including those who wished to support Trump in the caucus but couldn't vote for him in the primary, were allowed to participate in both the primary and the caucus.
Primary candidates
- John Anthony Castro
- Heath V. Fulkerson
- Nikki Haley
- Donald Kjornes
- Mike Pence (withdrawn)
- Tim Scott (withdrawn)
- Hirsh V. Singh (withdrawn)
- None of these Candidates
Caucus candidates
- Ryan Binkley
- Donald Trump
Campaign
In March 2023, it was reported that Trump hosted a range of Nevada Republican Party officials at Mar-a-Lago as part of his campaign's "aggressive outreach to state and local party officials in the early primary states."
The two contests have led to some confusion among voters, where they have questioned why Trump is not listed on the primary ballot, with thousands of them calling in to request clarification.
Endorsements
Caucus
Ron DeSantis (withdrawn)
Former federal executive official
- Nick Trutanich, U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada (2019–2021)
Former U.S. Representative
- Cresent Hardy, NV-04 (2015–2017)
Former state executive officials
- Adam Laxalt, Attorney General (2015–2019); Republican nominee for U.S. Senator in 2022 and Governor in 2018 (previously endorsed Donald Trump)
- Andy Matthews, Controller (2023–present)
- Patty Cafferata, State Treasurer (1983–1987)
State senators
- Carrie A. Buck, District 5 (2020–present); Assistant Minority Leader (2023–present)
- Jeff Stone, District 20 (2022–present); Western Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor (2019–2021); California State Senator from District 28 (2014–2019)
- Keith Pickard, District 20 (2018–2022); Nevada State Assemblyman from District 22 (2016–2018)
State representatives
- Danielle Gallant, District 23 (2022–present); Assistant Minority Floor Leader (South) (2023–present)
- Jill Dickman, District 31 (2014–2016 and 2020–present); Assistant Minority Floor Leader (North) (2023–present); Assistant Majority Whip (North) (2015–2017)
- Edwin Goedhart, District 36 (2006–2012)
- Jim Wheeler, District 39 (2012–2022); Minority Leader (2017–2019)
- Kelly Kite, District 39 (2010–2012)
Notable individuals
- Robert Bigelow, owner of Budget Suites of America and founder of Bigelow Aerospace
- Chuck Muth, political consultant; former executive director of the Nevada Republican Party