Trump Scores HUGE Win In Nevada Primary – Without Being On The Ballot

Despite not being on the ballot Tuesday night, former President Donald Trump moved one step closer to clinching the GOP nomination.

Nikki Haley, the lone holdout still campaigning against Trump for the party’s nod, failed to garner more votes than a “none of these candidates” option presented to votes in Nevada’s Republican primary election. The loss was a troubling sign for Haley, an anti-Trump candidate who has pledged to remain in the race for the foreseeable future and has more than $14 million on hand to do so.

The Nevada ballot pitted Haley against Mike Pence and Tim Scott, both of whom dropped out weeks or months ago. Each man collected several thousand voters, according to ABC News, while voters selected the “none” option over Haley by roughly a two-to-one margin.

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The former South Carolina governor’s campaign did not respond when asked about the results, saying only that the “game” is “rigged for Trump,” a reference to Thursday’s competing Nevada caucus and one denied by the state GOP. Haley’s spokesperson added, “We have not spent a dime nor an ounce of energy on Nevada.”

“Even Donald Trump knows that when you play penny slots the house wins,” the Haley campaign wrote in their statement after the results became clear. “We didn’t bother to play a game rigged for Trump. We’re full steam ahead in South Carolina and beyond.”

President Trump was quick to gloat on Truth Social.

“A bad night for Nikki Haley. Losing by almost 30 points in Nevada to ‘None of These Candidates.’ Watch, she’ll soon claim Victory!” he wrote.

State-level allies of the former president, including Nevada Republican Party’s National Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid, echoed the sentiment, saying Haley never really had a chance at competing for delegates there.

“That was kind of the expected result,” Nevada Republican Party’s National Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid told ABC News, noting Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, who recently endorsed Trump, had also suggested he would be casting his vote to “none of these candidates.”

“This is the third state to vote, and I haven’t seen any strength out of her [Haley] when ballots are actually cast yet,” DeGraffenried continued.

Clark County Republican Party Chair Jesse Clark added, “This result was expected because Nikki Haley was running against the American people and Nevada voters noticed.”

Doug Durbin, a Vietnam veteran who lost one leg during the war, said he made it his personal mission to make it to the polls to vote for “none of these candidates” over Haley.

“Today, I voted for ‘none of the above,’ because on Thursday, I’m voting for President Trump, who I will continue to vote for,” said Doug Durbin, calling his choice a “statement.”

“I have one leg — I’m on a prosthesis — and I came here today because, like you said, to make a statement and more than anything to make sure that my vote doesn’t get taken by others,” Durbin said. “We need to get up and get out, one leg or two, and make our vote count.”

The presidential contest will now turn its attention to South Carolina where polls show he leads Haley by a two-to-one margin among likely Republican voters.