Republicans in Nevada and South Carolina

I'll be liveblogging the S Carolina results starting in about two hours but a brief word on Nevada for the GOP. Romney won easily.  The Romney people are mounting an effort to persuade us that it was an important win, to be considered alongside the outcome in S Carolina. The desperate little Romney cabal at the National Review is of course faithfully recycling this line. But it's nonsense. Romney was the only candidate who put in any effort there. Of course he won. Here endeth all that needs to be said on the Nevada Republican caucus. 

Comments

[Brett]

It was quite underhanded of Romney. He basically just swept in and took the majority of Nevada's delegates, and since he's in the lead, it's a strategic victory for him (although not much of a public relations victory, and that may end up hurting him later on).

[James G]

Yes, except you are all crowning McCain before it's time. Romney has 72 delegates. McCain 38. Maybe it's "new maths" that makes McCain the "clear" front runner. Even when he beats Huckabee by 33% to 30% of the Republican vote? Romney beat McCain by 9% in Michigan...But that's obviously not being a clear front runner, I suppose.

The reason Romney did not do well in North Carolina is because Thompson and Huckabee are splitting the conservative vote, and he chose not to compete there. If either of those two drop out before Super Tuesday, expect Romney to muddy your prognosticative waters a bit more. The socially conservative vote is split three ways right now. That's why McCain is picking up a bit of steam.

In order to win the nomination, McCain has to win the party base over. And his immigration bill and Global Warming(tm) rhetoric do not play well to the base.