Clinton defeats Sanders in Nevada caucus by thin margin

20 Feb, 2016 22:43 / Updated 9 years ago

Despite offering a strong challenge, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has lost the Nevada caucus to his rival Hillary Clinton by a narrow margin, according to projections.

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With over 90 percent of the precincts reporting, Clinton is leading with 52.6 percent of the vote to Sanders' 47.3 percent.

Clinton had been hoping for a big two-digit win in Nevada to substantiate her supposed support from the Latino community, but instead is again securing a rather disappointing near-tie, as was the case in Iowa.

“Nevada was supposed to be a state "tailor made" for the Clinton campaign, and a place she once led by almost 40 points,” Sanders wrote to his supporters, claiming that getting “roughly the same number of delegates” there was a victory.

“Today, we sent a message that will stun the political and financial establishment of this country: our campaign can win anywhere,” Sanders said.

Sanders and Clinton will now turn their attention to the SC primary on February 27 before making way for ‘Super Tuesday’ on March 1.

READ MORE: Nevada Caucus and South Carolina Primary: What you need to know

In the meantime, Republicans are eagerly awaiting results from the South Carolina primary, where Trump is expected to win by a large margin.