NYT/AP: Reid, Labor were key factors in Nevada's bid for early caucus

[DeepModem Mom]

Reid, Labor Were Key Factors in Nev. Bid
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 23, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats were lobbied hard by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and organized labor before they picked Nevada as the best bet to energize the party's early presidential voting in 2008....

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The addition of Nevada to the first round of voting is likely to reshape the Democratic presidential campaigning in the opening rounds -- shifting some of the candidates' attention and time usually reserved for Iowa and New Hampshire to Nevada's glitzy casinos and hotels, sprawling suburbs and growing Hispanic population.

Aides for several potential candidates are already making contacts with key political figures in Nevada -- especially with union representatives for the hotel and restaurant workers, Democratic strategists say....

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Organized labor, particularly union leaders representing the hotel and restaurant workers, also campaigned for Nevada to get the early slot.

Inclusion of a state with a strong labor contingent was one of the Democrats' goals of diversifying the vote. About a quarter of Nevada voters in 2004 were in unions or came from union households, according to exit polls -- a higher concentration than in many states....Almost a fourth of the population of Nevada is Hispanic....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Primary-Scramble.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[msongs]

1. PR move for Las Vegas - maybe elvis will return that day too :-) nt