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              US Voters Heading to Caucus, Primary Sites Saturday

   by Katherine Gypson

   Voters in two diverse U.S. states are expected to further clarify the
   races in the Democratic and Republican fields Saturday as the quest for
   the White House intensifies.  South Carolina is having a Republican
   primary while Nevada holds a Democratic caucus.

   Ahead of the South Carolina primary, comments by Republican Party
   frontrunner Donald Trump and Pope Francis about building a border wall
   between Mexico and the United States have ignited controversy.  On a
   flight to Rome following a trip this week to Mexico, the pope, in
   response to a reporter's question, said a person who thinks about
   building walls and "not building bridges, is not a Christian."  Trump
   has called for a border wall to be built between the two countries.

   In response to the pope's remarks, Trump initially called them
   "disgraceful," but said later during a nationally televised town hall
   Thursday that he has a lot of respect for Francis, and that the pope
   may have been given the "wrong information" about the border plan.

   Republican presidential candidates joining Trump for the town hall
   downplayed the controversy.  Ohio Governor John Kasich declined to
   criticize the pope for his comments, while former Florida governor Jeb
   Bush said he did not think it was appropriate to question Trump's
   faith.

   "He knows what his faith is," Bush said.

   ''Trump still ahead among Republicans

   Trump was also challenged by town hall moderators for his 2002 comments
   that appeared to support the U.S. invasion of Iraq.  He noted that by
   the time hostilities started in 2003, "I was against the war."

   Trump continues to hold a commanding lead among Republican voters
   nationwide.  A Quinnipiac University poll found this week that Trump
   leads his nearest competitor, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, 39 percent
   to 19 percent, closely followed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz with 18
   percent.  Rubio this week received the endorsement of South Carolina
   Governor Nikki Haley.

   Senators Cruz and Rubio did not appear on the town hall but battled
   with each other Thursday over allegations the Cruz campaign doctored a
   photograph to make it appear as if Rubio and President Barack Obama
   were shaking hands.  Rubio told reporters at a campaign stop in
   Anderson, South Carolina, that the picture was a "fake" and represented
   a "disturbing pattern" from the Cruz campaign.  The Cruz campaign did
   not dispute the allegations but did post another photograph of Rubio
   and Obama on social media.

   Democrats battle for endorsements

   On the Democratic side, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and
   Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are locked in a battle for endorsements
   heading into Saturday's Nevada Democratic caucus.  Both campaigns see
   multi-ethnic Nevada as a key test for electoral viability nationwide,
   with the Clinton campaign seeking the support of minority voters as a
   way of gaining ground on Sanders after his success in the low-minority
   states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

   ''
   On Thursday, Sanders picked up the endorsement of the Clark County
   Black Caucus, an African-American group in the state's most populated
   jurisdiction.
   Union endorsements are also a crucial test for support in Nevada, which
   has the 11th-highest union membership in the country. In a sign that
   Sanders may be gaining ground on Clinton, the Nevada AFL-CIO and the
   influential Culinary Workers Union announced they would not endorse a
   candidate ahead of the caucus.

   Clinton holds a significant lead over Sanders in the number of super
   delegates to the Democratic National Convention, picking up 87
   endorsements since the New Hampshire primary, compared to Sanders' 11
   additions.  Delegates are allowed to change their minds but Clinton's
   larger numbers mean that Sanders will have to pick up even more
   delegates in primary voting.

   A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found Clinton and
   Sanders are still running neck and neck in the race nationwide, with
   Clinton ahead by a margin of 44 percent to 42 percent.  The Nevada
   Democratic caucus is followed one week later by the Democratic primary
   in South Carolina.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/south-carolina-primary-nevada-caucus/
   3198274.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/south-carolina-primary-nevada-caucus/3198274.html