LAS VEGAS–President Joe Biden, as expected, won over Democrat challengers in the Feb. 6 Nevada primary election, putting him one step closer to formally securing the renomination that appears all but assured from the incumbent.
The race was called for the president at 11:39 p.m. Eastern. President Biden won 88.8 percent of the vote, with 14 percent of the vote counted.
The decisive Silver State win followed his comfortable victory in South Carolina—winning 96 percent of the vote. The state was newly minted this year as the Democrats’ first-in-nation primary state, a distinction that used to belong to New Hampshire. But Democrats abandoned the Granite State after a history of problems there.
President Biden’s campaign issued a statement following the outcome.
“Nevada Democrats represent the backbone of our nation: the union workers who built the middle class, immigrants who came here in search of opportunity, and families of all stripes who deserve dignity, personal freedom, and a fair shot at the American dream,” the statement said.
“Tonight they showed us all: we still believe in an America where we treat everybody with honesty, decency, dignity, and respect. Where we leave nobody behind. I am so grateful for their support.”
Following his repeat win in South Carolina this year, his second-straight victory in Nevada promises to boost the candidacy of an incumbent who is battling record-low approval ratings.
Those are largely tied to three concerns: His handling of the U.S.-Mexico illegal immigration crisis, economic conditions including persistent inflation, and the 81-year-old’s ability to handle the rigors of the presidency.
In 2020, then-candidate Biden won Nevada by less than 3 percent. President Trump has been trying to flip the Silver State into his column.
At the same time, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aims to grab votes from each of them.
During an evening campaign appearance on Las Vegas’ historic West Side two days before the primary, President Biden delivered a 30-minute speech aimed at bolstering his support among blacks, Latinos, and union workers.
“You all are the reason why I’m president of the United States of America,” President Biden told rally attendees, some of whom wore T-shirts bearing union logos.
“You’re the reason Donald Trump is a former president. … and you’re the reason we’ll make Donald Trump a loser again!”
Despite these indicators that his candidacy could be on an upswing, concerns linger as polls continue to signify that support for him has slipped among key constituencies such as blacks and Hispanics.
His advocates counter that they see signs that black voters remain staunchly in his corner. They note that he won 96 percent of the black vote in South Carolina earlier this month.
Still, low voter turnout for this year’s Democrat primary in South Carolina has raised questions about a possible lack of voter enthusiasm and commitment there.
This year, South Carolinians cast only about 131,000 primary ballots, 50,000 fewer than in the state’s 2022 midterm primary and 200,000 fewer than in the 2020 primary.
Emel Akan and Lawrence Wilson contributed.
From The Epoch Times
