Hillary Clinton handily won the Nevada caucus Saturday, defeating Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in a crucial step on the way to the Democratic presidential nomination.

Nevada was seen as a contest in which Clinton could prove that she can beat Sanders by dominating among racial minorities. That's also the conventional wisdom on South Carolina, which holds its Democratic primary next Saturday.

"I am so, so thrilled and so grateful to all of my supporters out there," Clinton said during her victory celebration Saturday. "Some may have doubted us, but we never doubted each other."

Clinton distinguished herself from Sanders by arguing that while she's also angry about economic and racial inequality, she is the candidate with better solutions to address a broader range of problems.

"Americans are right to be angry, but we're also hungry for real solutions," she said. "In the campaign, you've heard a lot about Washington and Wall Street. We all want to get secret unaccountable money out of politics. That starts with appointing a new justice to the Supreme Court who will protect the right of every citizen to vote, not for every corporation to buy elections. ... The truth is, we aren't a single-issue country. We need more than a plan for the big banks, the middle class needs a raise and we need more jobs."

The former secretary of state's campaign was the first Democratic team to open field offices in the state last spring. In May, Clinton picked Nevada as the place to unveil her plan to reform the nation's immigration system, which includes pushing for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and protecting them from deportation. Since then, she has held dozens of town hall meetings and organizing events across the state.