Bernie Sanders Wins Decisive Nevada Caucus Victory

In case you missed the voting action on Saturday because, well, it’s a weekend, here is everything you need to know about the Nevada Caucus results. Sen. Bernie Sanders will come away with a big victory, though we don’t yet know exactly how big. Of the current amount of returns tabulated, he could easily close to fifty percent of the vote, or at least well into the forties.

Related: 2020 Nevada Caucus Results

Once the projection was made, Sanders greeted his supporters with a victory speech on Saturday evening:

With Sanders winning so strongly, far exceeding his poll numbers, the real battle in Nevada is for second place.

At the moment, former vice president Joe Biden appears to be holding the possibility of a second-place finish, a result his campaign sorely needs as it limps into South Carolina this week. If Biden does, for some reason, end up sinking lower than the number two spot, it’ll make his climb that much harder in the Palmetto State.

Former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg was hoping to catapult his second-place New Hampshire finish into some good results in Nevada. Polls showed him the more likely second-place finisher, though it appears Biden and Sanders while Buttigieg underperformed.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren needed a strong finish but it looks like she’s headed for yet another fourth-place ending in a state that was more favorable to her than Iowa or New Hampshire. It’s hard to see how Warren continues on much longer past South Carolina. She’s at a crossroads where continuing could end up splitting more votes and her decision to stay in or exit could alter the trajectory of the primary on Super Tuesday. In all likelihood, anything could happen over the next ten days. Warren could decide to stay in and keep fighting, or she could decide to cut her losses and throw-in with Bernie, or bow out and not endorse anyone.

Joe Biden also addressed supporters on Saturday night and thanked them for the hard work, and said his decent showing in Nevada sets him up well for South Carolina on February 29:

Pete Buttigieg also spoke with his supporters as well. After congratulating Bernie Sanders on a victory, Buttigieg proceeded to criticize the Vermont senator as divisive:

Sen. Elizabeth Warren had already moved on from Nevada and addressed the Sanders victory while campaigning in Seattle. More notably, she chose to keep her attacks aimed at former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg:

Looking at South Carolina

The Nevada result could certainly alter the vote in South Carolina and further fuel Bernie Sanders’ momentum moving forward. As the last stop on the calendar before the big Super Tuesday delegate battle, polls still show a tight race between Biden and Sanders in the February 29 contest.

Since South Carolina is back to the format of a traditional primary, run by the state, rather than a caucus run by the party, the setting should be less uncertain in terms of the availability and timeliness of results. Joe Biden needs a decent victory in South Carolina or his entire campaign argument of electability falls apart. If Sanders wins the state, or finishes within a few points of Biden, it will make it that much harder for Biden moving into other states.

A Sanders win in South Carolina would almost create a scenario where his likelihood of winning the majority of states on Super Tuesday, March 3, becomes very possible.

You can continue to follow the live Nevada caucus results on this page as the results continue to come in. By the end of the day today, we should have the full picture of what transpired in the Silver State.