US election 2016: Donald Trump registers thumping victory in Nevada

Donald Trump has continued in his startling march towards the GOP nomination for president. In the Nevada caucuses yesterday, he defeated – nay destroyed – nearest contenders Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

Polls showed Trump recorded some 45% of the total vote, with Rubio and Cruz languishing on around 20% each. More significantly, it appears Trump’s outsider message chimed with all demographics in the state, as he cleared up with help from scores of Hispanic, low-income, and evangelical voters.

Trump’s “Washington outsider” message, it seems, is hitting home with many Republican voters. At present Senators Cruz and Rubio can only battle each other for the right to second place.

Billionaire real estate developer Trump has now recorded wins in all of the last three primary contests. Only the opening primary of Iowa went to someone else, with Cruz narrowly beating Trump by a margin of 3%.

Ecstatic Trump supporters began noisy celebrations as the networks began to call the state on Tuesday. Trump himself reveled in the triumph, saying his campaign is now “winning, winning, winning!

Of particular joy to Trump was his turnout with Latino voters. He garnered almost half of votes within the demographic – a result some may find surprising given Trump’s previous comments on Latin American immigrants to the US.

Under severe pressure, the Cruz and Rubio campaigns, it seems, have resorted to attacking each other. Speaking in the wake of the Nevada result, Cruz failed to mention Rubio at all, saying the race was now down to him and Trump. Senator Rubio was reported to have made no comments on the Nevada result.

So-called Super Tuesday – when 11 states vote for their preferred nominee – is almost upon us. Around 25% of nominating delegates will be contested on 1 March in this, the most significant day in the race.

For the Democrats, meanwhile, Hillary Clinton carried Nevada on Tuesday with a 5% victory over rival Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.