(AFP) – Donald Trump is set to record another victory Thursday in his bid to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee with a caucus in Nevada that he is practically guaranteed to win.
Trump is all but unopposed in the contest, which will see party members gather in public buildings across the southwestern US state to cast their ballots.
“We’re gonna have a very big night,” he told reporters at his Florida mansion before heading to the state. “We expect to have a very big night.”
Nevada held state-organized primary polls on Tuesday in which Nikki Haley was beaten into second place on the Republican ballot by “None of these candidates” — widely seen as a proxy vote for the property tycoon.
That result, however, was meaningless, with Nevada’s GOP declaring months ago it would award its delegates from Thursday’s rival caucus, a format that strongly favors Trump.
Haley badly trails Trump in the overall race for the nomination, and is on course for another drubbing in her home state of South Carolina later this month.
The former UN ambassador insisted Wednesday that she was not dropping out.
“I’m in this for the long haul,” she told supporters at a campaign event in California on Wednesday night, according to The New York Times.
“This is going to be messy, and this going to hurt, and it’s going to leave some bruises, but at the end of the day, I don’t mind taking them, if you will go right along with me.”
Trump on Thursday said he thought her continued candidacy was not a good idea, but it didn’t bother him.
“I don’t know why she continues but let her continue,” he said. “I don’t really care.”
“I think it’s bad for the party. I think it’s actually bad for her.”
Nevada Republicans will begin to gather in election precincts across the state at 5pm (0100 GMT Friday), with the only choice other than Trump being the little-known candidate Ryan Binkley.
Results are expected around two-and-a-half hours later.
