Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley only managed a second place finish in the Nevada Republican primary on Tuesday, suffering the humiliation of scoring fewer votes than the “none of these candidates” box on Silver State ballot papers.
Donald Trump was not in contention in the state-run primary but will instead appear in Nevada’s GOP-organised caucus on Thursday, where his only challenger is Texas pastor Ryan Binkley and which he is expected to win easily, picking up a further 26 delegates and further cementing his dominance of the race for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.
Ms Haley’s defeat did not cost her any delegates but does severely weaken her claim to be able to mount a serious challenge to the front-runner.
It also places even greater pressure on her performance in South Carolina when that state’s primary arrives on 24 February.
Ms Haley is a native of the Palmetto State and served as its governor before joining Mr Trump’s administration as ambassador to the United Nations but is nevertheless trailing her old boss in the polls by a wide margin.
Joe Biden meanwhile comfortably won the Nevada Democratic primary on Tuesday, beating author Marianne Williamson as was widely expected.