Nevada plan to dump presidential caucus falls short

Politico ^ | 06/02/2015 | Eli Stokols

[GIdget2004]

While the outcome of Rand Paul’s attempt to block renewal of PATRIOT Act remains unsettled, his presidential campaign notched a victory of sorts early Tuesday: the Nevada legislature failed to pass a bill changing the state’s 2016 GOP caucus to a primary election.

The failure of the measure — backed by the Republican National Committee and the state’s GOP establishment — represents a big win for Paul, who stands to benefit from maintaining the status quo in the first-in-the-West state. For the past two presidential election cycles, grassroots factions aligned with his father, Ron Paul, have flexed outsized muscle in the low turnout caucus contests and Rand Paul is expected to inherit a good portion of that support.

Had the GOP-controlled Assembly been able to pass the bill, a primary election likely would have expanded turnout, diluting the influence of grassroots activists and providing a wider opening for Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush in a critical early state — one of the first four GOP contests of 2016.