LAS VEGAS (AP) — Bernie Sanders has scored a resounding victory in Nevada’s presidential caucuses.
His win on Saturday cements his status as the Democrats' national front-runner, though it's also escalating tensions over whether he’s too liberal to defeat President Donald Trump.
The 78-year-old Vermont senator successfully rallied his loyal base and tapped into support from Nevada’s large Latino community as the Democratic contest moved for the first time into a state with a significant minority population.
The party's more-establishment-minded members have been unable so far to unite behind Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden or Amy Klobuchar, helping Sanders pull away.
Sanders took an early lead in Nevada after winning the contest in New Hampshire last week. Sanders and former South Bend Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg nearly tied in Iowa where a chaotic vote-counting process has prevented The Associated Press from making a final determination.
Sanders: ‘We’re Going To Win This Election’
“We have just put together a multi-generational, multi-racial coalition,” Sanders told supporters in San Antonio Saturday. “No campaign has a grassroots movement like we do, which is another reason why we’re going to win this election.”
Sanders predicted he will win the primary in Texas on March 3 and go on to win the Democratic nomination and the presidency. Sanders presented his platform as a direct contrast to President Trump.
“The American people are sick and tired of a government which is based on greed, corruption and lies,” Sanders said. “They want administration that is based on the principles of justice. Economic justice, social justice, racial justice and environmental justice.”
Buttigieg Warns Against Sanders As The Democratic Nominee
“I congratulate Senator Sanders on a strong showing today, knowing that we celebrate many of the same ideals. But before we rush to nominate Senator Sanders in our one shot to take on this president, let us take a sober look at what is at stake for our party, for our values and for those with the most to lose,” Buttigieg told supporters.
“There is so much on the line. And one thing we know for sure is that we absolutely must defeat Donald Trump and everything that he represents in November,” he said.
Buttigieg said that Sanders “believes in an inflexible ideological revolution that leaves out most Democrats, not to mention most Americans” and that Democrats can choose between “either ideological purity or inclusive victory.”
He also pointed out that his campaign is the only one to have beaten Sanders in any part of the country, a reference to the too-close-to-call results in Iowa, where Sanders and Buttigieg remain locked in a tight race.
“This is our shot — our only shot — to beat Donald Trump,” Buttigieg said. “So I’m asking Americans to make sure we make the right choice.”
