Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz could crush Donald Trump in Nevada with just 20,000 voters

Donald Trump is widely expected to win Nevada's Republican caucus on Tuesday, even though he's a little fuzzy on the rules. "What the hell is caucus?" he asked an estimated 8,000 supporters at a rally in Las Vegas on Monday night. "Nobody even knows what it means." And nobody really has any idea who will turn up to vote, thanks to sparse polling, Nevada's unpredictable electorate, and questions over where Jeb Bush's voters will land. Marco Rubio, who lived in Nevada for a spell as a child — when his family briefly converted to Mormonism — has been working to court the organized Mormon and moderate Republican votes, while Ted Cruz has been heavily courting evangelical Christians and people opposed to federal ownership of public lands.
And it wouldn't take many of those voters to push Rubio or Cruz to an upset victory over Trump, says Philip Rucker at The Washington Post. "Just 20,000 voters could be enough for a landslide, operatives here say," meaning that for either candidate, "a win is within reach." Nevada has 434,000 registered Republican voters. So as Nevada Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, Rubio's state campaign chairman, said at a Rubio rally Sunday night: "If we get our people out, we’re going to do great. If we don’t get our people out, we're not going to do so great."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Today's political cartoons - February 22, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - bricking it, I can buy myself flowers, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 exclusive cartoons about Trump and Putin negotiating peace
Cartoons Artists take on alternative timelines, missing participants, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The AI arms race
Talking Point The fixation on AI-powered economic growth risks drowning out concerns around the technology which have yet to be resolved
By The Week UK Published
-
Mitch McConnell won't seek reelection
Speed Read The longest-serving Senate party leader is retiring
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump reportedly wants to take over US Postal Service
Speed Read President Trump is making plans to disband the leadership of USPS and absorb the agency into his administration
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump seeks to end New York's congestion pricing
Speed Read The MTA quickly filed a lawsuit to stop the move
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump officials try to reverse DOGE-led firings
Speed Read Mass firings by Elon Musk's team have included employees working on the H5N1 bird flu epidemic and US nuclear weapons programs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump blames Ukraine for war after US-Russia talks
Speed Read The US and Russia have agreed to work together on ending the Ukraine war — but President Trump has flipped America's approach
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Musk's DOGE seeks access to IRS, Social Security files
Speed Read If cleared, the Department of Government Efficiency would have access to tax returns, bank records and other highly personal information about most Americans
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as health secretary
Speed Read The noted vaccine skeptic is now in charge of America's massive public health system
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump lays out plans for broad 'reciprocal' tariffs
Speed Read Tariffs imposed on countries that are deemed to be treating the US unfairly could ignite a global trade war and worsen American inflation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published