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| Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton visits with Harrah's Las Vegas employees on the day of the Nevada Democratic caucus, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, in Las Vegas. |
COLUMBIA,
S.C. (AP) -- Hillary Clinton pulled out a crucial victory in
Nevada's Democratic presidential caucuses Saturday, overcoming an
unexpectedly strong surge by Bernie Sanders and easing the anxiety of
some of her supporters.
"Some may have doubted
us, but we never doubted each other," Clinton told her cheering
supporters during a victory rally. "This one is for you."
Clinton
captured the backing of voters who said electability and experience
were important in their vote. But in a continuing sign of her
vulnerability, Sanders did best with voters looking for a candidate who
is caring and honest.
Sanders said in a
statement that he'd congratulated Clinton on her victory, but then
declared his campaign has "the wind at our backs as we head toward Super
Tuesday" - the multi-state voting contests on March 1.
Nevada
was the first of two presidential primary contests being held Saturday.
Republicans were battling in South Carolina, a state seen as
billionaire Donald Trump's to lose and one that could start to clarify
who, if any, of the more mainstream candidates might emerge to challenge
him.
But the South Carolina electorate had
warnings for more traditional GOP politicians. Half of voters said they
felt betrayed by politicians in the Republican Party.
For
both parties, the 2016 election has laid bare voters' frustration with
Washington and the influence of big money in the political system. The
public mood has upended the usual political order, giving Sanders and
Trump openings while leaving more traditional candidates scrambling to
find their footing.
Clinton's victory in
Nevada could be vital in holding off a challenge from Sanders that has
been tougher than almost anyone expected. Clinton and Sanders split the
first two voting contests, revealing the Vermont senator's appeal with
young people drawn to his impassioned calls for breaking up Wall Street
banks and providing free tuition at public colleges and universities.
According
to the entrance polls of voters, Clinton was backed by a majority of
women, college-educated voters, those with annual incomes over $100,000,
moderates, voters aged 45 and older and non-white voters. Sanders did
best with men, voters under 45 and those less affluent and educated.
Clinton's
win means she will pick up at least 18 of Nevada's 35 delegates. She
already holds a sizeable lead in the delegate count based largely on her
support from superdelegates - the party leaders who can support the
candidate of their choice, no matter the outcome of primaries and
caucuses.
Republicans were voting in South
Carolina, the first Southern state in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump spent the week threatening one rival with a lawsuit, accusing
former President George W. Bush of lying, and even tangling with Pope
Francis on immigration, yet he still entered the primary contest in
strong position.
The prospect of a Trump win
alarmed rival Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor trying to save his
campaign with a respectable showing in the first Southern state to vote.
"Trump
can't win, plain and simple," Bush told reporters outside a polling
place in Greenville. "A ton of people would be very uncomfortable with
his divisive language and with his inexperience in so many ways."
A
Trump victory could foreshadow a solid performance in the collection of
Southern states that vote on March 1. Victories in those Super Tuesday
contests could put the billionaire in a commanding position in the
delegate count, which determines the nomination.
Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz banked on a well-regarded get-out-the-vote operation and
10,000 volunteers to help overtake Trump on Saturday, as well as in the
Southern states that follow.
A failure to top
Trump in South Carolina could puncture that strategy, though Cruz, who
sidetracked briefly to Washington to attend the late Supreme Court
Justice Antonin Scalia's funeral Mass, will still have more than enough
money to run a long campaign.
Florida Sen.
Marco Rubio was also fighting for a top-tier finish in South Carolina
that could help establish him as the more mainstream alternative to
Trump and Cruz. Many GOP leaders believe neither Trump nor Cruz could
win in the general election.
Rubio scored the
endorsements of several prominent South Carolina politicians, including
Gov. Nikki Haley, and seemed to have rebounded after a dismal debate
performance two weeks ago.
Bush hoped his deep
family ties to South Carolina - his brother and father each won two
primaries here - would be a lifeline for his struggling campaign. But if
Bush is unable to stay close to the leaders, he's sure to face pressure
to end his campaign.
Also in the mix was Ohio
Gov. John Kasich, who had low expectations in South Carolina. He was
looking toward more moderate states that vote later in March. Retired
neurosurgeon Ben Carson had a small but loyal cadre of followers.
Democrats
and Republicans will swap locations in the coming days. The GOP holds
its caucus in Nevada on Tuesday, while Democrats face off in South
Carolina on Feb. 27.
The polling of voters in
Nevada and South Carolina was conducted for The Associated Press and the
television networks by Edison Research as voters arrived at 25 randomly
selected caucus sites.
