Nevada caucus results are coming in; Live updates from Annenberg Media

LAS VEGAS — The Democratic presidential contest has reached a new stage. Following a tight race and muddle results from the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, they are looking to take advantage of the most diverse early voting state so far.

Eight Annenberg Media journalists are on the ground in Las Vegas to cover the critical first-in-the-West Democratic caucuses. They’ve covered the debate, spoken with candidates and will attend caucuses at the Bellagio casino on Saturday.

Here are some dispatches from the Silver State.

2 p.m., Feb 22

The Bernie Sanders victory at the Bellagio caucus site netted the Vermont senator 32 delegates to the state convention. One of those delegates is Miriamah Saba, a massage therapist who works at the MGM Grand.

Saba had never caucused before, and entered today unsure if she would back Sanders or Warren. “This time in our history is more important than ever, and I wanted to do whatever I can to lend my voice to these causes,” she said.

Her support of Medicare for All stems from her own personal experience on the health insurance market. “I had a medical leave and lost my coverage for six months. I’m feeling firsthand what it is to go out and get my own coverage,” she said.

— Kevin McNamara

1 p.m., Feb. 22

At the Bellagio Hotel and Casino there were 123 caucusgoers. A candidate needed to have at least 19 people in his or her corner to be considered viable with the potential to earn delegates.

During the first alignment here, Sen. Bernie Sanders clearly had the largest group of supporters. Former Vice President Joe Biden also had a large group.

First alignment results:

Sanders - 75

Biden - 39

Non viable

Sen. Elizabeth Warren - 6

Tom Steyer - 3

Final alignment results:

Sanders - 76

Biden - 45

Uncommitted - 2

At this precinct site, 51 delegates were up for grabs. Sanders received 32. Biden got 19. That was it.

To see the entire caucus in full, Annenberg Media did a Facebook Live video you can watch here.

We’ll keep you updated on the rest of the results throughout Nevada as they come in.

11:45 a.m., Feb 22

Erasmo Blanco is a cook at Lago, an Italian restaurant at the Bellagio. This is his first-ever caucus because he became a U.S. citizen last year. He said he is very proud to be caucusing and his first choice is Bernie Sanders.

— Abhinanda Bhattacharyya

11:30 a.m., Feb. 22

Presidential candidate Tom Steyer joined volunteers from his campaign at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino precinct site.

He spoke with Annenberg Media and said he’s excited about his chances in Nevada.

When asked how he gets his name out to voters who missed him on Wednesday’s debate stage, Steyer responded “Look, I think I’m in second or third place right now.”

(As you’ll see from our latest updates, during the actual alignment at this particular caucus, Steyer only had three supporters in the room of 123 people — not enough to be viable.)

11:15 a.m., Feb. 22

The Annenberg Media team is at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip to observe a caucus site. There are 7 sites along the Strip, but this is the only one open to observers from the press.

Here’s what the ballot will look like when caucusgoers begin the process at noon.

Andrew Yang, Sen. Micheal Bennet, Deval Patrick and John Delaney all have dropped out, but remain options for attendees.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was on the debate stage for the first time on Wednesday night, is not on the ballot.

Any shift workers within a 2.5 mile radius of this luxury casino — from gas station attendants to the chefs in some of the world’s top restaurants — are allowed to show up and caucus here. When they arrive they can gather in corners for their preferred candidate. If that person doesn’t have a large enough percentage of the people present in the room, usually set at 15%, the caucusgoer must choose another candidate who is viable.

Once that process is done, delegates are awarded. Here at the Bellagio, 51 delegates will be distributed between the candidates.

There is no early vote data to worry about calculating at this site, something which will complicate other caucus locations in the state. Other caucus sites will be using Google Forms on iPads in order to integrate the early vote data into the in-person counts at each person’s home precinct.

According to the party, nearly 75,000 Nevadans participated in the early vote, many of them doing the caucus process for the first time.

The source said the party is expecting to release the results today.

— Chandler France

8:45 a.m, Feb 22

It’s the morning of the Nevada caucus, and Annenberg Media is at Sen. Amy Kloubchar’s Nevada headquarters.

Coming off a third-place finish in New Hampshire, headquarters is hoping to keep the momentum going for the senator from Minnesota.

Volunteers for the campaign are ready to go and dressed in green “Amy Kloubchar will beat Donald Trump” shirts, large Amy earnings and buttons.

One precinct captain told Annenberg Media he feels like the senator’s policies give her the best chance to beat President Trump in November. The volunteer, who would only give his first name, Lee, said he joined the Kloubchar campaign a few days before the New York Times endorsed her last month. He has been working the grounds in different states ever since.

Klobuchar made an appearance to speak with her campaign volunteers and thank them for all their hard work.

“It’s the beginning of the next chapter in our campaign,” she said. “Let’s go out there.”

Before Klobuchar left, she told her team she would be headed back to Minnesota tonight. Annenberg Media asked Klobuchar if she’d visit California soon, and she responded, “Oh, of course.”

8:30 p.m., Feb 21

Sen. Bernie Sanders spent the morning campaigning in California in preparation for Super Tuesday on March 3, but ended the day back in Nevada for an outdoor rally at the Springs Preserve Amphitheater to a loud and enthusiastic crowd filled with supporters from his grassroots movement.

He started off by mentioning his win in New Hampshire and pointedly noting that he won the popular vote in Iowa. He urged voters in attendance that if they show up to their caucus site Saturday like they did in Iowa and New Hampshire, his campaign will walk away with another win.

Sanders said defeating Trump is his No. 1 priority. The crowd booed noticeably louder when Sanders attacked former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg for attempting to “buy” an election with his billions of dollars.

“Our campaign is funded by the working middle class.” Sanders said.

6:45 p.m., Feb 21

In a last attempt to appeal to Nevada caucusgoers, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is hosting a town hall gathering outside of the Clark County Government Center.

Vicky Ramos is a Nevada resident who is using the rally to decide what to do at Saturday’s caucus. She’s currently between Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders and will be attending the Sanders rally down the road later tonight before Saturday’s caucuses.

Ramos is looking to hear both candidates' plans on immigration and education before she decides. She is leaning toward Warren, and says she’s not worried if Warren doesn’t have enough supporters to be considered viable at her caucus site because she’s confident Sanders will likely still be viable.

This is Ramos’ first caucus. She is choosing to participate because she thinks this election has a certain urgency because of the current president.

Alan Arismendez is a new Nevada resident and will also be caucusing for the first time Saturday.

He’s been to a few of Warren’s events in the state, and says most of the people he’s talked with are excited about the senator from Massachusetts.

Arismendez is sticking with Warren because of her stance on income-inequality. If in the case Warren isn’t viable at his caucus site, Arismendez says he’s likely to realign with Sanders because of the Vermont senator’s progressive views.

Arismendez said he believes Warren’s performance in Wednesday’s debate is likely to make undecided voters caucuses for her. He is nervous that the four days of early voting in Nevada — which ended before the debate — will hurt Warren’s chances to win the state overall.

“It’ll be interesting to see if we can move the needle a little,” he said.

Caucus captain Joe Kennedy is more confident that Warren’s debate performance helped sway undecided caucusgoers despite many early voters turning their ballot in before seeing it.

“About 70,000 people voted without seeing that debate performance,” Kennedy said. “I really hope that the people who come out tomorrow are energized for her and sees … that she made a really strong case to beat Donald Trump in November.”

4:15 p.m., Feb. 21

On the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas organizers for the Bernie Sanders campaign are attempting to get college students to caucus for their candidate Saturday. They are even advertising an offer to meet students and walk them to the caucus site in the morning.

One organizer in particular uses chalk to appeal to students. Kristoffer Hellen, a California native, has gone to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and now Nevada to campaign for the Vermont senator.

In each location Hellen sketches Sanders’ logo in rainbow colors with the saying “I will fight for someone, I don’t know.”

He said he uses the rainbow colors each time because it symbolizes the diversity of the Sanders movement.

Hellen is confident that if organizers can rally enough of the student vote for the Nevada caucuses, Sanders will walk away with a win.

4 p.m. Feb. 21

Isabelle Moreno is a junior majoring in hospitality at UNLV. She never used to be involved in politics but has found herself drawn to Sanders this campaign cycle. “I feel like his policies would help students, and that’s important because a lot of students struggle,” she said. Moreno took part in early voting on Tuesday, so she won’t attend a caucus meeting Saturday. Her choices will be recorded in her home precinct after the caucus meeting.

Coby Carner has taken it one step further, as an organizer for Sanders on campus. He’s a freshman studying marketing. “Bernie Sanders is the only candidate fighting for the working class,” he said. “It’s hard to make ends meet. Bernie’s message of free college means a lot to me,” he added. In addition to his work with the student group Rebels for Bernie, Carner has recently been hired as an intern to work officially on the campaign.

Angelica Tabujara is a freshman studying public health. As a green card holder born in the Philippines, she cannot vote but she sees the importance of staying involved. She said she was raised in a primarily right-wing environment, which frustrated her. “People who support liberal rights are just more human. Conservative supporters are just more closed-minded,” she said. Her plan is to become a citizen in three years, when she is eligible.

— Kevin McNamara

Noon, Feb. 21

President Trump is holding a rally at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The crowds were so massive and security is so tight that the Annenberg Media team wasn’t able to get inside, so reporters are talking to voters outside as they watch on a jumbo screen near the parking lot.

Julia Alisso was inside the convention center during the rally. She came out when it concluded — nearly two hours later — holding a “Women for Trump” sign.

She and her husband are from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They were in Las Vegas to watch a hockey game, but saw Trump was holding a rally and decided to attend.

Alisso, a Catholic, said she supports Trump because he is pro-life and his policies are pro-business.

“His policies are my policies,” said Alisso, who owned a travel agency for 32 years. She said she has always voted for candidates whose policies provide for the most entrepreneurial opportunity.

Tom and Izzy attended the rally to hear the president, but also to sell their “Dogs for Trump” bandanas for $10 a piece. They supported Trump in 2016 and thought their dog, Ozzy, needed to show support, as well.

The couple, who declined to give their last name, are originally from Los Angeles and recently moved to Las Vegas. This was their first Trump rally.

When asked if he liked any of the Democratic nominees, Tom said after the impeachment trial, he could not imagine himself ever supporting one of the Democrats.

Izzy was born in Chile. She was eligible for the DACA program, but was unable to receive financial aid for the college she attended. She said she supports Trump because he understands the importance of borders.

Austin, from Long Beach, California, said he feels lonely being a Trump supporter in his area.

He voted for Barack Obama in 2012 when he was 18. Now, he says, he thinks the choice was because he wasn’t aware of what he believed politically. Austin said he wanted to see an African-American in the White House, but was disappointed when he felt like Obama didn’t keep all his campaign promises.

In 2016 he backed Trump, and said he will vote for the president again this year because he’s kept his promises.

Austin said he also supports people who share his pro-life views and abortion policy is one of his top issues as a voter.

When asked how he can support Trump despite the president’s comments about women and immigrants, Austin said there is a difference between policy and behavior. He said as long as Trump’s policies don’t reflect his comments, Austin will vote for him.

“I will vote for whoever’s policies align with my Christian values,” said Austin, who also decline to give his full name.

— Chandler France

Feb. 20

The team covered an immigration forum hosted by Amnesty USA, a liberal advocacy group. The event was non-partisan.

Every candidate from both parties was invited, but Tom Steyer was the only candidate to attend the forum in person. Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Sanders and Amy Klobuchar sent surrogates to speak for them.

After the event, Steyer told Annenberg Media why he chose to be the only candidate to attend in person.

“I must care about treating people fairly in the immigration process,” the candidate said.

Steyer said Democrats must elect a candidate who can pull the party together and beat Trump on the economy. And he believes he’s the candidate who can do that.

“I wouldn’t be running if I thought somebody else could do that,” said Steyer.

While he acknowledged the rest of the Democratic field is progressive on the issue of immigration, Steyer said what sets him apart is that he has a history of helping immigrants at his Bay Area home. He mentioned that he and his wife have worked through their church on this cause for many years.

“I have a 35 year history of supporting immigration,” he said. “I’m not just coming up with policies.”

Even though he is not expected to win Nevada, Steyer is preparing to campaign in California for its primary on March 3. Steyer said his family is in the state and the campaign has 100 people on the ground. He will also be campaigning and running ads.

— Chandler France

Sarah Martin and Kevin McNamara reported live from the forum. Here is their dispatch for See It Live.

Feb. 19

The ninth Democratic debate took place here Wednesday at the Paris Theater.

For the first time in this race, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg took the debate stage after spending millions of dollars in television commercials and online ads. As a result, he was faced with direct attacks from his opponents about his past comments on women and more.

Here’s Sarah Martin’s live report from the Media Filing Center at the presidential debate.