A year from now, Carson City will be as notable as Cedar Rapids and North Las Vegas will flow off the tongues of national media members as readily as Nashua.

But for now, Nevada is still wide-open and unknown territory.

The first suitor to arrive here since the state won the second-in-the-country 2008 Democratic presidential caucuses talked a good game but won't get a call for a second date without a little more Silver State education.

Mark Warner, the former governor of Virginia who is now traveling the country to garner support for a presidential bid, deserves credit for being the first to reach out. He arrived in Las Vegas on Wednesday to raise money for Nevada's Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Dina Titus, pad his PAC coffers, and meet with 3rd Congressional District challenger Tessa Hafen.

By working to help Titus cut into the 10-to-1 fund-raising advantage of Rep. Jim Gibbons, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, Warner buoyed his own nascent presidential bid by showing core Democrats he stands with their choices.

He subtly referenced his pro-choice bona fides with an anecdote about how he met (and was upstaged by) Titus at an EMILY's List fundraiser.

And he put down his first roots by straying from the Strip for a environmental event at UNLV with Hafen on Thursday.

Warner's rivals will be fast on his trail. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former vice presidential nominee John Edwards are expected here Monday.

So Warner had a real chance to make a good first impression. But relying on his Harvard law degree and his co-founding of Nextel won't win him support here. Nevada Democrats, in large measure, do not appreciate centrist candidates. Warner, who successfully governed his red commonwealth, is undoubtedly too businesslike for Clark County and not environmentally sound enough for Washoe County.

Maybe his best strategy in Nevada is a rural tour. But that would require a little homework.

I asked Warner how he envisions campaigning with 1,000 caucus sites in the wide-open geography of Nevada.

"Virginia isn't small," he said. "There's a part of southwest Virginia further west than Detroit."

And Reno is west of Los Angeles, I added.

Warner smiled, thanked me for the geography lesson and seemed appreciative when Titus jumped in to say you can swing through the rurals here, as she did over Labor Day weekend, in just three days.

The reality for the presidential candidates is that Nevada is the biggest state with the fewest electoral votes on the early primary calendar. It will not be easy winning over labor in Southern Nevada, environmentalists in Northern Nevada, and Hispanics, women and sportsmen from Mesquite to Winnemucca.

Warner said he was glad Democrats have added Nevada and South Carolina to the early primary and caucus schedule. Iowa will vote Jan. 14, 2008; Nevada on Jan. 19; New Hampshire three days later and South Carolina on Jan. 29.

"The more we can show the Democratic Party's ability to compete everywhere, the better it is for our party," Warner said.

Warner, so far, has done most everything right in Nevada. He was one of many to call Titus to congratulate her on her Aug. 15 primary victory. He and Edwards have already inquired about buying tables for the big Jefferson-Jackson dinner Sept. 29 at the Rio, which will be keynoted by former President Jimmy Carter.

Despite the slightest drawl, which led him to drop the middle syllable of "governor," Warner pronounced Nevada correctly. He also pledged $10,000 to Titus' campaign, the maximum allowed for individuals, and helped raise $60,000 more for Nevada's Senate minority leader.

He was here earlier this year, with Richardson and Tom Vilsack of Iowa, to court the bloggers.

But getting points for showing up is only part of the equation. A candidate such as Warner can be successful only if he is perceived as a real person. He talked Wednesday about campaigning at NASCAR events, chowing down on Virginia barbecue, standing up for sportsmen and listening to bluegrass.

"People will get a sense of whether you're real or not," Warner said.

Warner's first big test here came when local pundit Jon Ralston asked Warner about a 2005 letter he signed advocating the completion of the Yucca Mountain Project by 2010. Warner seems to have changed his tune about how to store nuclear waste.

But I'm not sure he passed the real person test. He was asked if he gambles, and after he suggested that he does, he was asked, "What's your game?" He looked blankly for a few seconds before settling on roulette.

John Kerry may not have gotten cheese steak etiquette in Philadelphia, but he at least produced a chip (red) from his pocket, and a blackjack anecdote during his first visit to Nevada in 2004.

Warner's got a long way to go to be seen as "real" by Nevada Democrats, but lucky for him, there's also a long way to go before he has to be.

Erin Neff's column runs Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached at 387-2906, or by e-mail at eneff@reviewjournal.com.