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- From the section US Election 2016
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US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has narrowly won the Nevada caucuses in the latest stage of the Democratic race for presidential nominee.
She is leading with 52% of the vote over her rival Bernie Sanders' 48%.She had been hoping for a big victory in Nevada where she is popular with Hispanic and minority voters.
The Republican primary is also under way in South Carolina, where frontrunner Donald Trump is trying to fend off Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
The votes could be key ahead of the "Super Tuesday" round on 1 March.
On that day, about a dozen states will choose their Republican and Democratic contenders for the 8 November presidential election, with about a quarter of all nominating delegates up for grabs.
Hillary Clinton, who won Iowa but was beaten convincingly in New Hampshire by Mr Sanders, declared victory in a tweet, thanking people who voted for her, saying "this is your win".
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"Some may have doubted us, but we never doubted each other," Mrs Clinton told supporters at a victory rally in Las Vegas. "This is your campaign."
The presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders has grown increasingly close in recent weeks, with the former secretary of state expected to win Nevada in double digits just weeks ago.
But the Vermont senator, who has successfully galvanised young voters with his calls for free university education, appears to have performed better than expected with the heavy minority population in Nevada.
According to NBC exit polls, Mr Sanders won among Hispanics with 53% of the vote but lost among black voters earning just 22% of their vote.
"Five weeks ago we were 25 points behind and we ended up in a very close election. And we probably will leave Nevada with a solid share of the delegates," Bernie Sanders said in a statement on his rival's victory.
Image copyright Reuters Elsewhere, in South Carolina, Republican supporters are choosing who they want to see run for the White House in a vote that is due to end at 19:00 local time (00:00 GMT).
The leading Republican pair split the first two rounds - Mr Trump winning in New Hampshire, a week after Mr Cruz had triumphed in Iowa.
Mrs Clinton's next test will be in the Democrats' South Carolina primary on 27 February. Republicans will hold their own caucuses in Nevada on Tuesday.
These rounds could be crucial in particular for Republican candidates Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Ben Carson, who have been lagging behind the leading pair.
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