By Adam Shaw, Paul Steinhauser | Fox News
The Nevada caucuses are getting underway on Saturday as Democratic presidential hopefuls face a more diverse electorate, with Sen. Bernie Sanders looking to keep his early momentum going — and with state Democrats hoping to avoid the chaos that hit Iowa’s caucuses earlier this month.
The closely-watched process began at noon local time, with Nevada Democrats cautiously optimistic that they will avoid a repeat of the technical glitches that plagued the caucuses in Iowa. Those fears led the state Democratic Party to decide to rely on traditional reporting by phone, rather than an app made by the same developer that created the app blamed for the debacle in Iowa. It has also scrapped a plan to use a Google Forms app loaded onto iPads.
NEVADA DEMS HOPE TO AVOID CAUCUS CHAOS: HERE’S HOW THE PROCESS IS SUPPOSED TO WORK
“Nevada Democrats have learned important lessons from Iowa, and we’re confident they’re implementing these best practices into their preparations,” said Xochitl Hinojosa, a Democratic National Committee (DNC) spokeswoman. “We’ve deployed staff to help them across the board, from technical assistance to volunteer recruitment.”
Should the state avoid the glitches, the caucuses could prove a pivotal moment for a number of campaigns as they seek to prove that they can attract support for a more diverse electorate in the state — where there is a significantly higher Latino population than in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Nevada’s population, which is closer to that of the country as a whole than the more white Iowa and New Hampshire, is 29 percent Latino, 10 percent black and 9 percent Asian American and Pacific Islander.
“Look, this campaign is really just getting started. We’re finally in a place where there are folks who represent the country, who look like the country. There are good folks in Iowa and New Hampshire, but this looks like America,” former Vice President Joe Biden, who struggled in both previous states, said Friday.
The candidate eyed in polls as the favorite to take the state is Sanders — who essentially tied former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg in Iowa and won the New Hampshire primary. While it’s difficult to poll in the Silver State, an average of the most recent surveys in the Democratic caucus suggests the democratic socialist holds a double-digit lead over his closest competitors.
If that’s the case, it would mean that the race for the other candidates would be for second place. An average of the polls gives former Biden a slight edge over Buttigieg. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is predicted by the poll average to come in fourth.
SANDERS AIMS FOR NEVADA CAUCUS WIN TO KEEP MOMENTUM GOING — BUT OTHER DEMS NOT GIVING UP
A Biden second-place finish would likely re-energize his struggling campaign, which was seen disappointing fourth- and fifth-place finishes in the first two states. It would help his campaign promote the idea of Biden as the centrist candidate who can beat the hard-left Sanders — and also President Trump in the eventual general election.
However, he is seeing competition for that moderate mantle from Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and also billionaire Mike Bloomberg — who is not on the ballot in the caucuses, but is creeping up the polls nationally. Buttigieg, who came a close second in New Hampshire, sounded confident Friday as he spoke to supporters in northeastern Las Vegas.
“I think we’re going to have a lot to celebrate tomorrow,” he said, speaking to supporters at a campaign field office in northeastern Las Vegas. “I think tomorrow’s going to be a fantastic day.”
In 2016, eventual Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton edged out Sanders in the Nevada caucuses – thanks in part to her strong support among the state’s Latino and African-American voters.
For the first time, Nevada held early voting, from last Saturday through Tuesday. Roughly 75,000 people cast ballots, which was nearly as many people who took part in the state’s entire 2016 Democratic caucuses.
But since this is a caucus, the ballot was far from simple. Voters were given ballots to rank their choice of candidates. The early-voting ballots will be married with those of caucus-goers on Saturday – in both the first round and the realignment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Adam Shaw is a reporter covering U.S. and European politics for Fox News.
