Nevada GOP Announces ‘First In the West’ Caucus

After a judge’s ruling against the Nevada GOP’s challenge to a new law that created presidential primary elections, the state party will hold a caucus on February 8th, two days after the presidential primary on February 6th and following the Iowa caucus and primary in New Hampshire.

The last GOP caucus in Nevada was during the 2016 election cycle since all of Nevada’s delegates were allocated to former President Donald Trump in 2020.

In an emailed announcement, the Nevada GOP notes that the First in the West Caucus “marks a crucial step in shaping the Republican nomination process for President and amplifies Nevada’s significance in the national political landscape…The First in the West Caucus underscores Nevada’s prominence as a key player in the Presidential nomination process. The Caucus will provide Nevada voters with the unique opportunity to engage with the candidates, discuss important issues, and voice their opinions on the future direction of the Republican Party.”

We look forward to hosting the First In The West Presidential Caucus on February 8, 2024!

Nevada plays an instrumental role in determining the next President of the United States, and we are excited for each Republican nominee to engage with Republican grassroots voters.

Read… pic.twitter.com/5Y38hofVZb

— Nevada GOP (@NVGOP) August 14, 2023

Prior to the passage of AB126 in 2021, Nevada’s major political parties held caucuses for choosing and binding delegates to the national convention and nominating presidential candidates. After 105,000 Democrats voted in the 2020 caucuses, Bernie Sanders dominated the Democratic field, despite predictions of chaos, and his delegates overthrew the Harry Reid political power structure. After this shift in political power, legislation to prevent such political upheaval and caucus-related “chaos” was born.

At the time, Harry Reid told the Las Vegas Review Journal: “My No. 1 priority is getting rid of the caucuses. They don’t work. It was proven in Iowa. We did OK here, but the system is so unfair.”

Due to the timing of the 2024 presidential election, the NV GOP had requested that the court exercise its’ discretion “under circumstances of urgency and strong necessity” on an expedited basis. The judge ultimately ruled against the state party yet noted that the party does not have to bind its presidential delegates to the results of a primary and could still hold a caucus if it so chose.

According to a press release, presidential candidates will be able to file from Sept. 1. to Oct. 15.

The Nevada Republican Party stated further details including locations for the Caucus will be announced on their website at a later date.