James W. Pindell's blog

WASHINGTON -- Yvonne Gates, of Las Vegas, said that being a member of the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws nationally televised meeting Saturday was both stressful and exciting.

The meeting, which was held at a Washington hotel, decided whether or not delegates from Florida and Michigan would be seated at the national convention even though both states brazenly defied party rules set by this committee. Clinton won both states and wanted both states to have all their votes counted.

Assemblywoman Susan Gerhardt will not seek reelection, nor seek higher office, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.Gerhardt, a Henderson Democrat, was expected to have a competitive challenge from Republican Sean Fellows.   read more »

Supporters of Barack Obama cheer before the start of a caucus at the Bellagio January 19, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bellagio is one of the nine hotel-casinos being used as a caucus site for the first time: Getty Images Photo
LAS VEGAS -- This at-large precinct at Caesar's Palace the signs of Barack Obama's defeat and Hillary Clinton's win in the state became obvious.

With the backing of the perceived powerful Culinary Union, who have enrolled tens of thousands of casino workers, these at-large precincts were supposed to be very pro-Obama.

But they weren't.

In fact at this location Obama collected 17 delegates and Clinton 16 delegates. Edwards was a total non-factor here.

At the Paris hotel Clinton even defeated Obama by 2-1.

Martha Martinez, a room service worker at Caesar's, explained why she voted for Clinton.

LAS VEGAS -- Inside Caesar's Palace on the Las Vegas Strip casino shift workers are about to decide who should lead the free world.

A casino worker showed the way to the room by directing "caucus to the left, NBA poker to the right."

We are not in Iowa anymore.

Minutes before the caucus is set to begin here, a shouting match has erupted between supporters of the Democratic campaigns.  read more »

LAS VEGAS – There are a lot of questions about today’s Nevada Caucuses. The questions include who will win? How will they win? How many people will show up to caucus? What does it mean to win here or lose here?

But really just stop. Hold the questions. There is no way to answer them.

Sure there are polls out. Those polls show that Mitt Romney will likely to win the Republican race here. They also show Hillary Clinton with a single digit lead in a tight Democratic race.

But what do these polls mean anyway? Consider that Nevada has about a million registered voters. The best estimates are that somewhere between 28,000 and 80,000 Democrats and around 20,000 to 40,000 Republicans will caucus. Add up the highest turnout estimates and you are looking at just over 10 percent of the population who will actually vote. Were pollsters able to weed out 90 percent of the population to only sample that 10 percent and even if they pulled a miracle and were able to get some how many were still undecided.

HENDERSON -- John Edwards criticized Barack Obama mentioning Ronald Reagan as a president of change during a campaign stop today.

Barack Obama's campaign shot back at what they said were "misleading" radio ads from Hillary Clinton about his record on Yucca Mountain.

"There is a pattern of misleading attacks," said state Senator Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas). "It is textbook Washington campaigning."

The radio ad calls into question Obama's stance on placing nuclear waste inside Yucca Mountain. 

The Las Vegas Review-Journal will endorse Mitt Romney in tomorrow's edition, the newspaper's website says.

"The board notes his positions and experience give him an edge in a field of worthy and viable Republican candidates," they wrote.

The newspaper endorsed Barack Obama in today's edition.

HENDERSON -- A national fund-raising e-mail from Barack Obama's presidential campaigns uses Nevada to frame how their national campaign is going.

The e-mail does not even mention South Carolina, though over the weekend the Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigns were trying to access whether the Nevada's caucus this Saturday or South Carolina's primary a week later was more important.

The e-mail is below:

HENDERSON -- If you need a sign that the Nevada Caucuses are becoming more important each moment consider the news that John Kerry will campaign on behalf of Barack Obama in Nevada.

Details have not been released for his two-day campaign swing on Thursday and Friday.

In the wide open Democratic presidential contest a Nevada victory could help propel the winner into front-runner status before South Carolina votes a week later.

Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, endorsed Obama last Friday in South Carolina.