Donald Trump (Photo: Twitter)
It’s full-speed ahead for Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who steamrolled through the Nevada caucus Tuesday and was declared the winner immediately after the caucuses ended.
“You’re gonna be proud of your president, and you’re gonna be even prouder of your country,” Trump declared in his victory speech. “The people of this country are absolutely amazing.”
“We’re going to keep Gitmo open, and we’re going to load it up with bad dudes,” he said, referencing Obama’s push to close down the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
“Mexico is going to pay for the wall. They know it. I know it. We all know it.”
Trump had a large following in Nevada, mostly due to his positions on illegal immigration and bringing jobs back during a stagnant U.S. economy.
The billionaire won the Hispanic vote in Nevada, according to Fox News exit polling, which showed 41 percent of Hispanic Republicans voted for Trump compared to 29 percent for Marco Rubio.
“I’m really happy about that,” Trump said, referencing his support among Hispanics.
He declared, “Now we’re gonna get greedy for the United States. We’re gonna grab so much money. This is an amazing night.”
According to CNN polling, Trump also came in first among voters of every education group, among independents and among evangelical Christians.
“I just don’t know how you stop the raw enthusiasm behind Trump,” John Kasich Nevada state director Zachary Moyle told the Los Angeles Times.
Nevada will send 30 delegates to the Republican National Convention. Delegates are awarded proportionally.
With 100 percent reporting, results Tuesday showed the following:
Donald Trump: 45.9 percent
Marco Rubio: 23.9 percent
Ted Cruz: 21.4 percent
Ben Carson: 4.8 percent
John Kasich: 3.6 percent
Rubio has been trying to attract Jeb Bush’s large pool of big-money donors since the former Florida governor exited the race Saturday. Rubio hoped a strong performance in Nevada would set him up to be the most viable mainstream alternative to Trump.
Both Cruz and Rubio hired top campaign consultants to launch robust get-out-the vote efforts in Nevada.
According to data from Kantar Media/CMAG, Rubio spent $920,000 to Cruz’s $790,000 in Nevada advertising. Trump spent about $490,000, and Carson spent about $330,000. Kasich has spent nothing.
The Silver State has a large base of conservatives. Eighty-three percent of GOP caucus-goers identified as conservative in 2012, and half of all caucus-goers were “very conservative.”
CBS News entrance polls Tuesday evening showed 58 percent of Republican voters say they are angry about the federal government. And two-thirds of GOP caucus-goers said they want the next president to “be outside politics.”
Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio (Photo: Twitter)
What’s next?
Republicans will face off in their next debate, hosted by CNN, Telemundo and Salem Radio on Feb. 25. The event, which will be broadcast in English and Spanish, will take place at the University of Houston. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer will moderate the debate. Telemundo’s Maria Celeste Arraras, Salem talk-radio host Hugh Hewitt and CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash will also ask the candidates questions.
The South Carolina primary – scheduled for Feb. 27 – is the next Democrat primary.
And both Republicans and Democrats will face off on Super Tuesday, a group of 12 primaries and caucuses held on March 1 that includes the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia.
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