Nevada GOP drops lawsuit seeking to block upcoming state-run primary

The Nevada Republican Party last week dropped its lawsuit attempting to block next month’s state-run presidential preference primary.

The Nevada GOP had originally filed a lawsuit in May to block the state from a presidential preference primary for Republicans, an election the state is mandated to run under state law, so that the party could hold its traditional caucus instead.

A judge had sided with the attorney general’s office, representing the state, which argued that the Nevada primary would not preclude the party from holding a caucus, as the party decides which method holds weight in awarding delegates to the presidential candidates.

The party filed an appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court in August to block the state-run primary that is scheduled for Feb. 6, two days before the party’s own presidential caucus.

Attorney Sigal Chattah, who represented the Nevada Republican Party in the lawsuit and also serves as its national committeewoman, said the dismissal came about over the course of negotiations with the attorney general’s office and secretary of state’s office. Chattah declined to discuss the specifics of those negotiations.

The Nevada GOP wanted to ensure it could hold its caucus, Chattah said. After the court ruled that it could, the party’s main concerns were voter confusion and why taxpayers had to pay for a presidential preference primary that would have no effect on the Nevada GOP’s ability to bind delegates, Chattah said. She does not see the dismissal as a loss.

“We still got our caucus,” Chattah said. “The only people who lost are the Nevada taxpayers.”

The secretary of state’s office did not return requests for comment.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.