Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) formally endorsed former President Donald Trump in the Republican primary race during an interview on Thursday.
Lombardo made it official during an interview with the Nevada Independent, making it clear that he plans to caucus for Trump on February 6.
“We need President Trump’s decisive leadership back in Washington, D.C. President Trump oversaw record economic success, implemented strong foreign policy, and ensured our law enforcement officers are treated with the respect they deserve,” he said, according to reports.
Nevada’s Republican voters have an interesting — albeit a bit confusing — process in the 2024 nominating contest, as the state is embracing a duel primary system, as detailed by ABC News in October. The real results, however, will be awarded via the caucus system rather than the primary. It should be noted that several of the candidates named in the ABC News article have dropped out since its original reporting:
On one — for the caucus held by the Nevada Republican Party on Feb. 8 — will be former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman and commentator Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and pastor and entrepreneur Ryan Binkley.
And on the other — for the state-run primary on Feb. 6 — will be former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Vice President Mike Pence, along with some long shot candidates.
While Nevada voters can cast ballots in both the caucus and primary, the latter slate of hopefuls are competing for a symbolic victory. The 26 Nevada delegates that will help determine who wins the Republican nomination will be awarded only through the caucus, not the primary.
Lombardo has previously criticized the state’s election process plans due to the confusion of it.
“I think that’s unacceptable for the voters and the understanding of how things should be done,” Lombardo said.
According to News 4, “The state’s GOP has vowed to split up its delegates to candidates participating in the caucus — nullifying the results of the state’s presidential preference primary”:
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is now Trump’s only challenger in the Nevada GOP caucus after Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out after the Iowa caucus. Nikki Haley is the top candidate running in the state’s Republican primary but the results will not matter in the nominating process.
Notably, Trump endorsed then-Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo in his race for Nevada governor in April 2022. Lombardo successfully unseated Democrat Gov. Steve Sisolak later that year.