Democrat presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton secured a narrow win over Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the Nevada caucus on February 20. The former secretary of state gathered 53% of the vote, while the self-described democratic socialist Sanders secured more than 47%.
Despite his loss, Sanders proved his campaign could mobilise quickly and battle the odds. In a speech following the results, Sanders recalled that just a few weeks ago, he was 25 points behind Clinton in the polls in Nevada. "We have the wind on our backs, we have the momentum," he said.
The poll also appeared to show Sanders was able to get through to non-white voters and the Latinos in Nevada. According to one poll, Sanders had the support of 54% Latinos, which constitutes a significant blow to Clinton.
It is possible that Sanders could win every state caucus in the Democrat race from here on out, the Fifty Thirty Eight website, one of the most important websites for analyzing polls with an impressive record of predicting results, said.
In 2008, against now-president Barack Obama, Clinton won 64% of the Hispanic vote in Nevada, beating him in the state's caucuses by seven percentage points in a race she ultimately lost.
The Hill website also said that Sanders secured votes in rural and poorer areas in Nevada state. Clinton's win in Nevada came on the back of a strong showing in the minority-rich Clark County, home of Las Vegas.
During her victory speech, a victorious Clinton targeted Sanders by saying his campaign is only concerned with Wall Street. "We need more than a plan for the big banks, the middle class needs a raise.”
Meanwhile, Sanders remained strong on his policies and stressed the need for accountability for Wall Street and corporations. He also promised to fix the US's "broken justice system", saying: "Our job is to bring justice back to the justice system."
From Nevada, the polls suggested 18% of caucus-goers were younger than 30, compared with 13% in 2008. More than 80% of those youngsters favored Sanders.
The race was not without controversy. The US's largest nurses union, National Nurses United (NNU), accused Clinton campaigners of deceiving Democratic voters in Nevada at Saturday's caucuses by wearing red t-shirts that people typically identify with their union.
Now, the union is suggesting that Sanders, who it endorses, request United Nations election observers.
Raw Story broke the story after NNU executive director RoseAnn DeMoro tweeted a series of pictures showing Clinton volunteers receiving the red t-shirts normally associated with the union, which is the largest registered nurses union in the US with more than 180,000 members.
Union spokesperson Chuck Idelson told Raw Story that the red tees were not a first for Clinton supporters. Idelson said that when nurses attending the caucuses pointed out the Clinton people to the press, they immediately changed back into Clinton campaign blue tees.
The nurses union announced their support for Sanders in August, saying the socialist senator's platform was "perfectly aligned” with their political views on “the most critical problems facing the US”.
On its website, the union posted 10 reasons why it endorses Sanders. Its reasons range from income inequality to guaranteeing health care to all to holding Wall Street and corporations accountable, among other issues.
Clinton and Sanders face off next in South Carolina on February 27.
In the Republican race in South Carolina, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump secured a major victory on the back of the anti-Muslim vote, where he also told his audience that he “leads in every" Latino poll during his victory speech.
“I am leading in every poll with the Hispanics. They love me and I love them,” Trump said to a cheering crowd as he he delivered his victory speech in South Carolina, where he won more than 34 percent of the vote.
“Don't worry, we are going to do the wall and Mexico's going to pay for the wall... Believe me they will pay," he added, and not without irony.
[Compiled from TeleSUR English.]
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