This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2016/feb/20/south-carolina-primary-nevada-caucus-live-coverage-us-presidential-election

The article has changed 27 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 14 Version 15
Election live: Clinton narrowly beats Sanders to win Nevada caucuses Election live: Clinton narrowly beats Sanders to win Nevada caucuses
(35 minutes later)
11.02pm GMT
23:02
And Sam Levin is still speaking to people in Reno, as Clinton prepares to speak:
Michael Rudokas, a 24-year-old graduate student, was initially undecided, but he ultimately decided to join the large Sanders group.
“I just feel like she isn’t going to change,” he said. “She is a career politician.”
He said he was at first worried about her viability and about moderates not supporting Sanders. “But I decided I should vote for what I believe in.”
Some of the Clinton supporters tried - unsuccessfully - to sway him. “The Hillary supporters answered questions well and put up a good fight, but they were severely outnumbered ... I just think it would be another four years of the same.”
Updated
at 11.03pm GMT
11.00pm GMT
23:00
Maria L La Ganga
Maria La Ganga has been speaking to Clinton supporters at her victory party in Las Vegas.
Jeff Eggleston wore his emotions on his sleeves Saturday. And his pant legs. And around his neck. And on his feet.
Caucusing at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip, the 33-year-old senior producer for the Animal Planet show Tanked was decked out in bright red slacks, a blue blazer festooned with stars and a red-white-and-blue bow tie.
His shoes appeared to be of the blue-and-white saddle variety, but it was hard to discern the color in the dark ball room where Hillary Clinton’s post-caucus party was going to be held once the caucus results were out.
Eggleston said he arrived at the casino caucus sort of undecided. He’s been a Hillary Clinton supporter for years, but he said he “wanted to hear from Bernie Sanders supporters’ mouths” why they thought he should be president. They were unpersuasive. Eggleston caucused for Clinton and ended up at the former secretary of state’s fete.
Sanders’ supporters’ “biggest argument is that he’s more trustworthy and not in the pocket of Wall Street,” Eggleston said as he waited for his victorious candidate to appear. “That’s debatable. He’s a politician.”
Eggleston said he’s been a Clinton supporter since “back in the day. I’m from New York. She’s always had my same share of social rights and equal rights. She’s been fighting for them since before Bill Clinton was governor.”
And today, he said, “Feb. 20, 2016, she’s the most prepared and experienced human being America has ever seen for this office.”
Updated
at 11.01pm GMT
10.54pm GMT
22:54
CNN is reporting that Bernie Sanders has called Hillary Clinton to congratulate her on her victory in Nevada.
10.51pm GMT
22:51
Also worth bearing in mind that Clinton won the Nevada caucuses in 2008 and went on to lose the primary to Barack Obama.
The final results are not yet in for today’s caucuses, but as they arrive, bear in mind that she won in 2008 by 50.8% to Obama’s 45.1%.
Currently, with three quarters of precincts reporting, Sanders seems to be slightly closer to Clinton than Obama was: 47.7% to 52.3%.
Updated
at 10.53pm GMT
10.46pm GMT
22:46
Chris McGreal
More than a few voters at Del Webb middle school were disgruntled with the caucus process by the time it was over, in part because of long lines which delayed the process by more than an hour.
Ruth Mormon was among those who signed a platform resolution proposal, which goes to the Nevada Democratic party, to return using primary elections.
“Caucuses are just too inconvenient. Long lines. Time commitments. People couldn’t vote because they couldn’t be here long enough or stay. We had people who had to leave because the delays were so long,” she said.
“There’s the anonymity of primaries. It’s an important part of the democratic process that your vote is private.”
Ruth Mormon who voted in NV caucus then signed petition to restore primaries. "There's the anonymity of primaries" pic.twitter.com/RrqdXPBsB0
Jennifer Leejoice also signed the petition. She blames Senator Harry Reid who fixed the switch to caucuses so that Nevada could get in early on the primary season. “Normally we love Harry Reid. Not on this one,” she said.
10.42pm GMT
22:42
Maria L La Ganga
This is the moment supporters at Clinton’s post-caucus fete realized it was really going to be a victory party:
Updated
at 10.54pm GMT
10.42pm GMT
22:42
Some ugly reports coming in here of Bernie supporters chanting to prevent translation from English to Spanish:
Harrah's casino site- Bernie supporters chant "English-only" to stop civil rights leader @DoloresHuerta from providing Spanish translation.
10.38pm GMT
22:38
Breaking news from MSNBC:
90% of straight couples in Vegas feature a woman dressed to the nines and a dude in jeans and a ratty t-shirt.
10.36pm GMT
22:36
CNN is reporting a “decisive” and “impressive” win for Hillary, which Maria La Ganga says is going down extremely well at the Clinton victory party:
When a CNN reporter broadcast on the screens near the stage said “this is a decisive win” the cheers were loud enough to drown him out.
But is it all that decisive? Sanders is projected to win big among young voters, first-time caucus-goers, and Latinos. And the margin between the two candidates has, however you slice it, narrowed significantly even in the last few weeks.
This race is far from over, folks.
10.32pm GMT
22:32
Maria La Ganga is at the Clinton victory party in Las Vegas:
The Clinton victory party ended up being just that. Right before 2.30pm, the television announcers on screens near the stage called the race for Clinton and the ballroom burst into cheers and shouts of Hillary! Hillary!
Chris McGreal, at Del Webb middle school in Las Vegas, spoke to a Clinton supporter:
Margaret Thompson, a Canadian who recently became an American and first time Caucus voter in Nevada. For Hillary pic.twitter.com/TH3MwQtmD6
Updated
at 10.34pm GMT
10.26pm GMT10.26pm GMT
22:2622:26
10.24pm GMT10.24pm GMT
22:2422:24
It’s worth noting that, though Hillary Clinton is projected to win in Nevada, Bernie Sanders held her to the tightest of margins. His campaign will take heart at the extraordinary margins he achieved among young and Latino voters.It’s worth noting that, though Hillary Clinton is projected to win in Nevada, Bernie Sanders held her to the tightest of margins. His campaign will take heart at the extraordinary margins he achieved among young and Latino voters.
Also worth noting that Clinton was a solid 35 points up just a few weeks ago. So this is a sigh-of-relief moment for her, but not an unqualified triumph.Also worth noting that Clinton was a solid 35 points up just a few weeks ago. So this is a sigh-of-relief moment for her, but not an unqualified triumph.
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.29pm GMTat 10.29pm GMT
10.22pm GMT10.22pm GMT
22:2222:22
Hillary Clinton is also calling it for Hillary Clinton:Hillary Clinton is also calling it for Hillary Clinton:
To everyone who turned out in every corner of Nevada with determination and heart: This is your win. Thank you. -HTo everyone who turned out in every corner of Nevada with determination and heart: This is your win. Thank you. -H
10.19pm GMT
22:19
The Associated Press calls Nevada for Clinton
...with 64.9% of precincts reporting.
BREAKING: Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic caucuses in Nevada. @AP race call at 5:15 p.m. EST. #Election2016 #APracecall
Updated
at 10.21pm GMT
10.18pm GMT
22:18
A brief explainer about what the results are likely to mean.
Nevada is not a winner-take-all state; but it is complicated. Of the 43 delegates at stake, eight are “superdelegates,” and not bound by caucus voting, and the remaining 35 will hold off pledging until the convention in July.
This is not the case for the Republican caucus on Tuesday - just the Democrat one.
10.14pm GMT
22:14
Paul Lewis
Remarkably, exit polls appear to be showing Sanders beat Clinton with Latinos in Nevada.
You can read our deep dive into why that may have happened here.
Updated
at 10.17pm GMT
10.12pm GMT
22:12
Maria L La Ganga
It shouldn’t have been a surprise, considering the sea of blue T-shirts with “Estoy contigo” on the back and “I’m with her” on the front that filed into the ballroom at Caesars Palace Saturday for the shift-workers’ caucus.
Bernie Sanders’s supporters may have been louder in the hallway outside of the Milano Ballroom, where nearly 300 hotel and casino workers from throughout the Las Vegas strip caucused. But it was the Hillary Clinton backers who won the day.
Sean McBurney, Caesars general manager and chairman of the caucus, implored the gathered workers to “stay for the entirety; I will take the heat from your bosses.” And stay they did. And caucus they did. And on this afternoon their voices were heard.
Given the fact that most of the workers were Hispanic, the casino caucus was bilingual. And seeing as how this particular caucus was a Nevada curiosity – democracy amid the poker chips – almost as many members of the media descended on Caesar’s Saturday.
Shortly after the caucus convened, the hotel workers were instructed to break into preference groups: Clinton’s supporters on one side of the ballroom and Sanders’ on the other. To be a viable candidate, the two Democrats needed to have 15% of the registered voters in the room, or 42.
As the groups aligned, Clinton’s supporters broke into loud, happy chants: “I say madam! You say president! Madam! President! Madam! President!” And “I’m with her.” And “Si se puede!”
Because only two candidates were vying and both exceeded the minimum number of supporters, the caucus was decided fast, on a single vote. “This is the final count, 190 for Secretary Clinton,” McBurney called out, and a cheer went up. “And 81 for Senator Sanders.”
It was a nice start for the former Secretary of State, who was running neck-and-neck with the Vermont senator.
But as longtime politics watcher Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, noted after watching the caucus go down, “It’s one caucus.”
Updated
at 10.18pm GMT
10.08pm GMT
22:08
Chris McGreal
Some more detail on the “house divided” - the couple that Chris McGreal spoke to, one of whom is supporting Sanders, the other Clinton.
Le Roy and Linda Graham - a house divided. She for Sanders, he for Clinton. In '08 she was Obama, he Clinton pic.twitter.com/8rEtntj03r
Le Roy Graham and Linda Devaull-Graham are a house divided. He backs Clinton, as he did in ’08. She backed Sanders and went with Obama eight years ago. They were voting inside a classroom at the Del Webb middle school where they each attempted to win over supporters among the assembled caucus goes.
Le Roy punted the line that Hilary can get things done. “I’ve been watching Hillary since she was first lady, first lady of Arkansas. She always stood up for people. She was arguing for Obamacare under Bill Clinton’s administration. In a perfect world, Bernie would be the candidate but I don’t think he’s electable,” he said.
His wife leapt in. “That’s what he said about Obama. He wasn’t electable!” she said. Her husband had to concede the point. But when it came to the vote, Clinton knocked Sanders out of the water with Linda just one of three voters who backed him in the classroom. Clinton won 24.
Updated
at 10.12pm GMT
10.03pm GMT
22:03
Over half of precincts now reporting in Nevada
Hillary Clinton is maintaining the slimmest of leads over Bernie Sanders, 51.71% to 48.22%.
Updated
at 10.07pm GMT
10.01pm GMT
22:01
In the caucus in Reno, Hillary Clinton does not receive enough votes to be viable, reports Sam Levin.
Dividing up into Hillary and Sanders in Reno https://t.co/9xABBEQV5J
Olivia Komanduri, an 18-year-old student supporting Clinton, said she was disappointed but not surprised that she lost here, Sam writes.
I know that the campus culture here is all about Bernie Sanders. They love the idea of a political revolution, they want someone who is different like Bernie, but they don’t understand that Hillary is different, too.
They call her the establishment, but she spent years breaking into the establishment as a woman. She is such a role model to me.
The politics in Sam’s caucus are red in tooth and claw:
Passionate Hillary voter attempts to sway the few undecided voters in Reno #NVcaucus https://t.co/ExgXTa7nR4
Bernie crew descends on the 7 undecided in Reno #NVcaucus pic.twitter.com/dncQNx4gy7
Hillary Clinton deemed not viable in university of Nevada Reno site https://t.co/L5XsiFuhxv only 18 voters pic.twitter.com/kdK0tEddYC
9.58pm GMT
21:58
Something of a correction from earlier in the blog, where I reported that Hillary Clinton won “all six” coin tosses in Iowa.
An eagle-eyed reader has pointed out that this - which came from an article in the Des Moines register - is not entirely accurate. According to the Washington Post:
Other news articles over the course of the day showed that Sanders won others elsewhere in the state; it was mostly those, it seems, that were reported to the state Democratic party. We may never know how many coin tosses there were in total. But we can estimate how important they were. If Iowa’s 11,000 county delegates, selected Monday, eventually get pared down to 1400 state delegates, that implies that about eight county delegates equal one at the state level. Clinton won Iowa by four state-delegate-equivalents, meaning — according to my calculations — that it would have taken winning about 32 more coin flips than Sanders to have been what put her over the top.
Updated
at 10.09pm GMT
9.55pm GMT
21:55
With more than 40% of Nevada precincts reporting, the race remains excruciatingly close: Clinton 51.6% to Sanders 48.3%.
The former secretary of state looks to be building a wider margin in the key Clark County, home to Las Vegas and most of Nevada’s population. But because the Nevada system splits delegates – a few precincts coming down to obscure tiebreaker rules involving a deck of cards – the state may turn out to have no clear winner, much like the Iowa caucuses earlier this month.
Updated
at 10.08pm GMT
9.49pm GMT
21:49
Democracy in action in Reno, Nevada, where supporters of Clinton and Sanders are trying to lure undecided voters to their candidate.
The undecided: “You can propose these great ideas but if you can’t get the backing behind it, I’m just saying…”
The Sanders-ista: “I think that our country is moving toward a more progressive direction … I don’t want to say that we’re leaving these other people behind, but…”
The Clinton-ite: “The right is getting much more right, and it’s honestly scary…”