DONALD TRUMP WINS NEVADA CAUCUSES
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump scored his third-consecutive victory of the election season by winning the Nevada Republican caucuses on Tuesday.
Trump was declared the winner by multiple outlets shortly after the state's caucuses wrapped up at 9 p.m. PST. NBC, ABC, CNN, Fox News, and others called the victory for Trump.
The early results showed the caucuses shaping up to be a rout for Trump, who was coming off big victories in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries over the last two weeks.
"Of course, if you listened to the pundits, we weren't expected to win too much and now we're winning, winning, winning the country," Trump said in a victory speech to supporters. "And soon the country is going to start winning, winning winning."
Trump held a 21-point lead over second-place Marco Rubio, a Florida senator, with roughly 19% of precincts reporting, according to NBC News. Those numbers were as of 11:00 p.m. PST.
"It's going to be an amazing two months," he said. "We might not even need the two months, to be honest," to clinch the Republican nomination.
Trump led with Hispanic voters in the state by a 15-point margin over Rubio, according to entrance polls that surveyed a sample of caucus-goers. He boasted about the number in his victory speech.
"And you know what I'm really happy about? Number one with Hispanics," he said. "I'm really happy about that."
A pair of polls had given Trump a massive edge heading into the primary. He held a 26-point lead over Rubio, according to a recent CNN poll. Another poll, from Gravis, showed he had a 16-point advantage over Ted Cruz, a Texas senator.
The Nevada victory followed easy wins for Trump in South Carolina and New Hampshire and a second-place showing in Iowa. Each Republican who won in both New Hampshire and South Carolina has gone on to become the eventual GOP nominee.
Trump will have an added boost of momentum heading into Super Tuesday on March 1. That day features the "SEC Primary," as many of the 13 states voting are located in the South.
Trump is leading polls in almost all of the Super Tuesday states. The day will also give Trump an opportunity to deliver a crushing blow to Cruz in the senator's home state of Texas.
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THANK YOU NEVADA! WE WILL MAKE AMERICA SAFE & GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/ClAnLIg0AD pic.twitter.com/zVvyVCIaD4
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