US Election: Hillary Clinton Wins in Nevada

LAS VEGAS — For a few moments, in a conference room deep inside the Wynn casino, the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination came down to a debate between three women of color. Felicia Fletcher , a 44- year- old cashier at the nearby Circus Circus , was one of two undecided voters . Precinct captains for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders descended on her , reducing lifetimes of politics to a few sentences .
“ Hillary’s been there for the working people,” said Autumn Johnson, 38, a black woman with a blue Clinton T - shirt and a small American flag pinned in a hair bun . “ I know that personally .”
Melanie Malfabon , 26, leaned in a little closer to argue for Sanders. “ The banks have lobbyists , and that ’s why so many people can ’t get ahead,” she said. “ His average donation is $37. He ’s not owned by big money. ”
Finally, politely, Fletcher dropped the poker face. “ I trust Bernie more,” she admitted. “ But I like Hillary’s views more.”
It was a scene that replayed in hundreds of precincts on Saturday , as Clinton ’s loss of altitude in Nevada was halted by a rugged ground game and the resilient affection of black voters .
In the same caucus location , hours before the fight for Felicia Fletcher , it wasn ’t always easy to see that . The Wynn hosted one of six casino caucuses for employees on the Strip who couldn ’t head home to vote. In 2008, 376 people swarmed the caucuses here, a turnout level that had been boosted when the 60,000 - member Culinary Workers Union endorsed Barack Obama.

This year, Culinary stayed neutral , and only 60 voters showed up to the Wynn . They came from Circus Circus , from the Westgate and from the arrogantly gleaming Trump hotel across Las Vegas Boulevard . Few of them were white. They walked past a table where Clinton supporters offered blue “ I’ m with her ” T - shirts, then past a throng of volunteers from National Nurses United , the first major union to back Sanders .
In lieu of an endorsement , Sanders volunteers passed out laminated testimonials from casino workers who had come on board — porters , servers , cooks , stage techs . It was a hard sell but a cheerful one . If you had never heard of Sanders, your friends and neighbors had. It echoed the ad campaign that had actually outplayed Clinton in Nevada. And to plenty of voters , it worked .
“ He ’ s an old man with a young spirit, young ideas , ” explained Elza Dubrin , 62, a Brazilian immigrant and server at the Wynn who caucused for Sanders . “ My son - in - law, he ’s a doctor . My daughter, she’ s a registered nurse . They both support him 100 percent. So I’ ve got to trust them .”
Not far away from Dubrin sat Cedric Wester , 58, a black utility porter who had caucused for Obama in 2008 but could not be convinced that Sanders was presidential timber.
“ I love Hillary’s experience , ” he said. “ She ’s more suited for the job than Bernie . ”
Suddenly, the chair next to Wester was filled by a smiling Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D- Ill.). “ You’ re with her ?” he said, pointing to female Clinton fans , posing for selfies . “ I’ m with her, too !”
He was a Clinton endorser , and he was capping off months of attacks on Sanders’ s immigration votes by running through the caucus sites to win votes. It was not going so well . Gutierrez , like many Clinton supporters, was out to prove that a quiet majority of hardworking non - white voters was behind her . The caucus process was making that a chore.
“ I went down and talked to the workers ,” said Gutierrez . “ I got kicked out, actually, but before that , I asked , ‘Don ’t you want to vote ?’ And they said, ‘Yes , but we ’d have to take an hour off . ’ They ’d lose $ 18 in wages ! It’ s a poll tax. Nevada’s like the South !”
There was no time to fix that before the vote began. At noon , the doors slammed shut — no one allowed in unless “ they say they’ ll have a heart attack unless they vote ” — and the restless caucus- goers listened to a monotone reading of letters from the candidates . Only after that could they raise their “ commitment cards ” and declare their votes.
Thirty- four chose Clinton . Twenty- four chose Sanders . Two were undecided. Each campaign put its most passionate advocate at a microphone. The Sanders team chose Harold Tavares , a 62- year- old veteran who had come from California to canvass for Bernie and had practiced his speech in the hallway until it got to a crisp one minute .
“ We need comprehensive immigration reform that puts families first, and brings people out of the shadows!” Tavares said. “ Come with Bernie !”
The lobbying began, and the Sanders team made no converts. Malfabon , who had never been engaged in politics before — who had been an independent , she said , until discovering Sanders — was so adept at explaining the Sanders pitch that her fellow organizers stepped back .
“ We all agree on all of these issues ,” Malfabon said. “ But Bernie Sanders has the power to do it because he ’s not owned by big donors . ”
Her time ran out, and the room was counted up again. Clinton now had 36 supporters . Sanders had 23, losing a supporter from the first round . Fletcher remained undecided, until the last second , when she raised her card and declared for Clinton .
In this room, Clinton had won . The Sanders volunteers ’ cellphones were telling them of bigger wins around the state , so their mood stayed high , even as Clinton was awarded 15 delegates to Sanders ’s 9 . Fletcher , having helped give Clinton a campaign - rescuing win, had little to say about it .
“ I feel like I know her ,” she said, “ and I know how she ’ d do in the job .”
David Weigel is a national political correspondent covering the 2016 election and ideological movements .