‘One step further’: Biden wins Nevada Democratic primary

President Joe Biden won the Democratic nomination Tuesday night in Nevada’s presidential preference primary, bringing the likelihood of a 2024 rematch between him and Donald Trump closer to reality.

“I want to thank the voters of Nevada for sending me and Kamala Harris to the White House four years ago, and for setting us one step further on that same path again tonight,” Biden said in a statement Tuesday. “We must organize, mobilize, and vote. Because one day, when we look back, we’ll be able to say, when American democracy was a risk, we saved it — together.”

The Associated Press called the race for Biden at 8:39 p.m. with 14 percent of the votes counted. By 12 a.m., over 85 percent of the votes had been counted.

On a rainy Election Day, Biden had received nearly 90 percent of the votes as of 12:00 a.m. Another Democratic candidate, Marianne Williamson, received less than 3 percent, and “none of these candidates” received 5.8 percent.

The 46th president made campaign stops in Las Vegas on Sunday and Monday, engaging with supporters and encouraging them to elect Democrats up and down the ballot this year.

His likely GOP opponent, former President Trump, will participate in the Nevada Republican Party’s caucuses on Thursday, when he is likely to be confirmed as the Silver State’s GOP pick for 2024. Trump is expected to attend a caucus watch party Thursday night in Las Vegas.

Patricia Donley, 78, said casting her ballot for Biden was a no-brainer at the Nellis Shopping Center in Las Vegas.

Biden has smarter advisers around him, better knowledge of foreign affairs and generally brings dignity to the country, she said. Overall, Donley said she’s been satisfied with what he’s done as president.

Donley isn’t thrilled about a likely Trump-Biden rematch but maintains that Biden is the better choice.

“Biden’s not a yes man,” Donley said.

Nevada Democrats will soon begin their process to elect 49 delegates to the Democratic National Convention happening in August in Chicago, where they will nominate Biden for president and adopt the national party platform, according to the Nevada State Democratic Party’s website.

Democrats who participated in Tuesday’s primary can attend the Assembly District Delegate Meetings in April, and then the state party will host its state convention in May to elect delegates.

“This is what’s so fantastic about tonight,” said Attorney General Aaron Ford, wearing a Las Vegas Aces sweatshirt, at a Democratic primary night celebration Tuesday. “We know who our leader is. We know that the president is the man who is handling business at the top of the ticket. We know that tonight he has won.”

For Biden’s campaign in Nevada and the state’s Democratic party, campaign organizers viewed the February election as an opportunity to kickstart voter mobilization for November.

“We went into this primary knowing that it wasn’t really going to be a competitive race, right?” said Nevada State Democratic Party Chairwoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno at the primary night celebration. “But that didn’t stop us. … We got on the ground. We did the work. We built community. Why? Because we know that what we do today will matter for years and years to come.”

Democratic National Convention Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement Tuesday night that Nevadans have set the stage to defeat Trump in November.

“Today is an important step, and Democrats are going to continue putting in the work to earn every vote in communities across the country from now through November and beyond,” Harrison said in the statement.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X. Staff writer Alan Halaly contributed to this report.