2nd LD Writethru: Clinton wins Nevada Democratic caucuses

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Saturday snatched a key victory in Nevada Democratic caucuses, days before the crucial "Super Tuesday" in 11 U.S. states' primaries on March 1.

With 79.2 percent of the precincts reporting, Clinton led Bernie Sanders 52.1 percent to 47.8 percent.

Before the vote counting ended, Sanders conceded to Clinton but stressed that he remained a competitive candidate.

"I just spoke to Secretary Clinton and congratulated her on her victory here in Nevada. I am very proud of the campaign we ran," said Sanders in a statement. "Five weeks ago, we were 25 points behind and we ended up in a very close election."

The modest victory was crucial to Clinton after the former first lady suffered erosion of support nationwide in the wake of a near tie in Iowa and a stinging 22-point loss in New Hampshire.

Unlike Iowa and New Hampshire, Nevada's more diverse population had long been expected to give Clinton an edge over Sanders.

However, as voters' frustration with Washington politics and big money in politics went wildly in this election cycle, Sanders' campaign gained tremendous momentum and at one point even threatened to surpass Clinton in Nevada. Endi