Las Vegas, Feb 23 (IANS) As votes were still being counted, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders obtained 54.2 per cent of the county delegates and was declared by the US media as winner of the Democratic caucuses in the state of Nevada.
The majority support for Sanders came as 4 per cent of the precincts reported county delegate votes on Saturday, whose calculation is based on two rounds of popular voting, reports Xinhua news agency.
Former Vice President Joe Biden came second with 18 per cent, followed by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who fell behind by 8 percentage points.
Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, currently held the fourth place with 8.7 per cent of county delegates, followed by billionaire and former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer at 6.4 per cent.
Also competing in the Nevada caucuses were Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who garnered 2.7 per cent, but Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard did not manage to receive any delegate vote.
The Nevada Democratic Party is expected to announce three sets of results later.
Voters’ first preference of candidates is determined by the results of the initial round of caucusing.
If voters’ first choice doesn’t cross the threshold — usually 15 per cent — they will have to realign with others to choose a viable contender.
The second round of caucusing indicates the final preference, in which all the candidates chosen are viable.
The third set of results to be announced is the county delegates, which resemble the electoral college in the general election.
On February 11, Sanders managed to win a razor-thin victory in the New Hampshire caucuses after the chaotic Iowa caucuses on February 3 where Buttigieg was declared the winner.
–IANS
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