Nev. gov. calls for state to be first caucus in the nation
Volunteers for various campaigns talk to voters as they enter a presidential caucus site at Mendive Middle School in Sparks, Nev., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 4:22 PM PT — Saturday, February 22, 2020
The governor of Nevada has said he believes his state should replace Iowa as the first-in-the-nation caucus. On Saturday, Steve Sisolak suggested that Nevada deserves to be first in the nominating process because it’s more reflective of the country as a whole.
“I think Nevada should go first, I really do,” stated Sisolak. “You’ve got a lot of great candidates…that didn’t have the money to continue and didn’t get to Nevada, and that was lot of the diversity in the field.”
Nevada Governor @SteveSisolak tells @VictorBlackwell his state should be first in the primary process.
"We've got all of these communities as part of Nevada and I think they're more reflective and representative of the entire country."https://t.co/ab413A7lP8 pic.twitter.com/m1nfaxdO2w— CNN (@CNN) February 22, 2020
The governor touted the state’s diverse population, which he said included communities of African Americans, Latinos, LGBTQ members, veterans and the disabled. He also claimed it could be a game-changer for minority candidates.
“You’ve got minority candidates (who) couldn’t make it to Nevada, and that’s really unfortunate,” said Sisolak. “Those are voices that should be heard.”
State residents took to caucus sites on Saturday to cast their vote for the Democrat nomination. Nevada is the first contest to be held in a western state in the 2020 election cycle.
According to early results, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) doubled the county delegate lead against his closet rival in the state, former Vice President Joe Biden. 2020 hopefuls Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) trailed the former vice president, but are still hoping to make crucial gains ahead of the upcoming South Carolina primary.