Nevada GOP expects long fight to block state-run presidential primary after 1st attempt is denied

RENO, Nev. (AP) — After a loss in court this week, Nevada Republican Party leaders say they’re preparing for a long fight to block the state from holding a presidential primary required under a 2-year-old law.

That’s because the party still plans to hold and honor the results of a party-run primary caucus, as they have for decades, to determine which candidate wins the state’s GOP delegates at the party convention, Nevada Republican Party Chair Michael McDonald said.

A Nevada District Court dealt a blow to the party’s efforts this week when it ruled against the state GOP’s request to block the state-run primary, a decision that McDonald said he was expecting. The state GOP is considering an appeal of the Monday ruling from the bench. The judge hasn’t issued a written ruling.

If the party ultimately fails to block the presidential primary, an electoral conundrum could take place in February: both a state-run primary and a party-run caucus in the same time period.