War Tops Concerns In Nevada

John Hunt, the chairman of the Clark County, NV Democratic Party, is a veteran. USAF retired. Last week, his son returned from a third tour of duty in the Middle East. "For me, the war is the quintessential issue of this campaign," he says. And of the caucuses: more than even Iowa or New Hampshire, Nevada Dems are incredibly anti-war. The state has the third highest percentage of veterans in the country and a disproportionately high number of Iraq war dead. This Thursday, Hunt will be the master of ceremonies at the biggest political event of the decade: a candidate debate on CNN and the state party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner fundraiser. 80% of those in the audience will be precinct chairs and captains. Clark County itself accounts for 75% of the statewide vote.The Nevada caucuses on Jan. 19 may be more influential than some Democrats realize. For one thing, assuming that Michigan, on Jan. 15, remains a non-factor for Dems, the candidates will have more than a full week to campaign in the state. And that same night, Republicans in South Carolina will hold their all-important primaries, meaning that the media will be geared up to cover politics. The stakes are different for different candidates: With a Nevada win, Hillary Clinton could shut down any momentum Barack Obama might try to build before the South Carolina Dem primary on 1/29. Given the amount of time and resources he spent in Nevada, a first or second place finish is critical for Bill Richardson. Obama, who probably has the best ground game in the state, could break an IA-NH stride for Hillary Clinton. If he gets some well-placed endorsements, John Edwards could be as competitive here as any of the other Dems. Here are some questions worth asking this week: -- Who wins the big crowd war, HRC or Obama? -- Can Edwards pull off a large scale event or will he stick to small town halls and press conferences? -- Can close observers see improvement in the now-beefed up Edwards campaign? -- Does Richardson have anything going on, or is he just another 2nd tier candidate? -- Can close observers see cracks in the now-smaller Richardson campaign? -- Which candidates just fly in and fly out? -- Does Hillary’s solid job building relationships in Nevada give her an edge at the JJ dinner? -- Does the endorsement by Asm. Ruben Kihuen (first Latino statewide elected official and political rock star) provide HRC a counterweight to the drivers' license mess?

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