News

Here's What's Happening In Nevada

by Lauren Barbato

It's caucus Saturday! Registered voters have been lining up around Nevada to vote in the 2016 presidential Democratic caucus, which is now just a battle between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. (The Republican caucus is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 23.) These two Democratic candidates are currently engaged in a tight race in Nevada, with Clinton clinching to a polling average of 48.7 percent, and Sanders not far behind with an average of 46.3 percent, according to Real Clear Politics.

The race was neck-and-neck as of Saturday afternoon. According to data from the Associated Press, with just 33 percent of precincts reporting, Sanders and Clinton were nearly tied, at 48 percent and 52 percent, respectively. It's expected to remain a close race, and as Nate Silver noted over at Five Thirty Eight, the entrance polls coming out from Nevada continue to swing from Clinton to Sanders to Clinton.

As expected, thousands of Nevadans have been turning out to vote on Saturday. Sanders is expected to win counties in the northern part of the state, while Clinton is expected to take big cities like Las Vegas, which she also won in 2008. According to Five Thirty Eight reporter Clare Malone, Clinton has already taken the lead in the final count at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The scene in Las Vegas has been wild — when is Vegas ever not wild — with casino workers flashing their support for the candidates by donning T-shirts over their uniforms. Videos posted online also show voters waving signs and chanting as the caucus carries on.

Here are some more scenes from the Nevada caucus...

And there's Sanders, meeting and greeting caucus-goers in Las Vegas...

Oh, and Susan Sarandon was hanging out, too...