Nevada will be the third state on the GOP primary calendar and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo has endorsed Donald Trump for the February 8th caucus.

Lombardo made the announcement during an interview with The Nevada Independent Thursday morning.

The Hill reports:

Lombardo told The Nevada Independent that he will also vote “none of the above” in the state’s primary, where Trump is not on the ballot.

Nevada will hold both a caucus and primary on Feb. 8 and 6, respectively, after a protracted legal battle between the state and Nevada Republican Party. Only the caucus results will award delegates for the Republican Party’s nominee selection.

Trump endorsed and campaigned for Lombardo during his 2022 gubernatorial bid.

“I believe [under former President Trump] the economic picture was better, more predictable, more stable,” Lombardo told the Indy. “And then if you look at foreign affairs, [it was] more predictable and more stable. I think he has the ability to move us out of the doldrums associated with President Biden.”

The governor said in September that he would not make an endorsement in the presidential primary but dismissed the notion Thursday.

From The Nevada Independent:

Asked why he was publicizing who he is voting for now, Lombardo said that for “all practical purposes … the race is over,” and out of the pool of available candidates, he believes that Trump is the best one.

Though Lombardo in September expressed some hesitation in voting for Trump amid four criminal indictments, including two in federal court, he said that since those indictments, the public has “learned a lot more” about the pending cases associated with Trump.

“I feel comfortable, and my belief [is] you’re innocent until proven guilty,” Lombardo said. “And I think he is well situated to be successful moving forward on that case.”

In October, Lombardo called the concurrent state-run primary and caucus “confusing” and “unacceptable.” He said Thursday that he stands by that statement and wishes that there was just one option for voters. The Nevada Republican Party adopted rules prohibiting candidates from filing for both the primary and caucus, leading to some confusion among Republican voters who have received mail ballots that do not list the former president or other top Republican contenders.

 

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