COLUMBIA, South Carolina, USA – Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton defeated Bernie Sanders in Nevada's Democratic caucuses on Saturday, February 20, breathing life into her sluggish campaign, as Republican frontrunner Donald Trump looked for a big win in South Carolina.
The two main US political parties parted ways for the third stage of the surprise-filled race for the White House, with the Democrats heading west and the Republicans campaigning in the south.
In Nevada, CNN, Fox News and NBC News called the contest for the former secretary of state. With more than 80% of precincts reporting, Clinton was at 52.1% to 47.8% for Sanders.
"This is your campaign, and it is a campaign to break down every barrier that holds you back," Clinton said in her victory speech at her Caesars Palace headquarters on the Las Vegas Strip.
"Americans are right to be angry. But we're also hungry for real solutions."
Sanders congratulated Clinton, but also said he was proud of having significantly narrowed the gap.
"We have the wind at our back as we head toward Super Tuesday," the 74-year-old Sanders said, looking ahead to the major March 1 showdown when about a dozen states will go to the polls to choose their White House candidates.
Voters meanwhile streamed to the polls in South Carolina, in what could be an important test of strength for the 69-year-old frontrunner Trump. Voting places were to close at 7 pm (0000 GMT Sunday, February 21).
Clinton bets on immigration
In the desert state of Nevada, both Clinton and Sanders worked hard to reach out to African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans, who make up roughly half of the state's population.
Clinton, who won by a hair in Iowa but was crushed by Sanders in New Hampshire, had counted on a major Hispanic voter turnout, especially among Las Vegas hotel and casino employees.
But according to CNN entrance polls, while she handily won the black vote, but did not convince Latinos to join her camp, losing that key demographic to Sanders by 53 percent to 45 percent– evidence that his campaign may have much longer legs than first expected.
Clinton did well with women, but was stomped once again by Sanders with young voters, the polls showed.
The former top US diplomat needed a win in Nevada, a state once seen as a relatively easy victory for her – but one where Sanders gathered steam after trouncing Clinton in New Hampshire on February 9.
Clinton won their first showdown in Iowa on February 1, but only by a razor-thin margin.
The 68-year-old Clinton worked hard to win votes from hotel and casino employees, making multiple stops on the Strip since Wednesday.
Clinton claims that Sanders is offering impractical, pie-in-the-sky ideas that he cannot bring to fruition as president, and on Saturday took aim at corporate America – usually a message sounded by Sanders.
"If you cheat your employees, exploit consumers, pollute our environment, or rip off taxpayers, we're going to hold you accountable," she said.
"But if you do the right things, if you invest in your workers, contribute to your communities, help build a better America – we're going to stand with you."
Crunch time for Trump
In South Carolina, pre-vote polls showed the billionaire businessman Trump with a lead over his five Republican rivals, although his advantage had shrunk in one poll in the lead-up to Saturday's primary in the Palmetto State.
Lynn Derrick, a regional vice president for Oracle Corporation and a first-time primary voter, said he had cast his ballot for Trump.
"We just think we want to take a risk with Trump. We think he's had success with everything he's touched," Derrick told Agence France-Presse at a high school in the state capital Columbia.
Trump is banking on a big symbolic win ahead of "Super Tuesday", when about a quarter of the nominating delegates are up for grabs.
"It's crunch time, folks," Trump told voters at a North Charleston rally, his final pitch Friday before the primary.
He finished second to Texas Senator Ted Cruz in Iowa, but secured a commanding win in New Hampshire. The two have duked it out in the past week, with the campaign growing increasingly nasty.
On the eve of the primary, Trump led with about 28% of likely Republicans voters backing him, according to an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll.
The ultra-conservative Cruz followed with 23%. Trailing were Senator Marco Rubio at 15% and former Florida governor Jeb Bush at 13%.
Rubio and Bush are under pressure to fare well Saturday, as are Ohio Governor John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
Edwin Pearlstine, a retired beer distributor and brewery owner who said he voted for Kasich, said if Trump wins the Republican nomination, he'll leave the country.
"I got a pretty place right on the beach in the Bahamas. I'll just go stay there," he said. – Michael Mathes, AFP / Rappler.com