Trump wins Nevada, capturing a state he lost in both 2016 and 2020
President-elect Donald Trump has carried Nevada over Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, NBC News projects.
Trump lost the state’s six electoral votes in both of his previous runs for the White House. But those defeats against Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden were both by less than 2.5 percentage points, and Trump and the Republican Party have made significant strides with Latino voters and other voting blocs key to the state since then.
While Nevada elected a Republican governor in 2022 — Trump-endorsed Joe Lombardo — Democrats managed to hold on in other close races up and down the ballot, a recurring theme in recent years. But Trump’s victory is a breakthrough for the GOP in a state that Democrats have mostly dominated of late. Republicans hadn’t won the presidential contest there since 2004.
Trump made Las Vegas a frequent stop on the campaign trail, repeatedly promoting his “no tax on tips” pledge, in a state where a significant number of residents work for tipped wages in the entertainment and hospitality industries. Trump announced the proposal at a Las Vegas campaign rally in June.
Harris also backed it and promoted her support in her visits to the state, including in August, when she touted backing from the likes of the powerful Culinary Union. Harris visited Las Vegas several times, too, after she became the Democratic nominee in the summer.
Trump won Nevada after six Republican “fake electors” were indicted last year on forgery charges over their alleged submission of fake certificates to Congress declaring Trump the winner in the state four years ago. A Nevada judge dismissed the case in June 2024, ruling that it was filed in the wrong venue. Nevada’s attorney general, Democrat Aaron Ford, appealed the ruling in July.
Nevada relies heavily on mail-in voting, which Trump and Republican allies railed against in the 2020 election and since. But the party made a more concerted effort this year to encourage voters to use mail balloting, with Trump urging his supporters to cast their ballots in any way possible.
