Louisiana Gov. Jindal on the stump in Las Vegas says Romney can win

Campaigning in Las Vegas, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Wednesday said it's not too late for GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney to gain enough momentum to beat President Barack Obama on Nov. 6.

Speaking to Nevada Republicans before the first presidential debate between Obama and Romney, Jindal said he is confident voters understand they aren't better off than they were four years ago, and they realize Romney can boost job and economic growth by reinvigorating the private sector.

"This isn't about who looks best on TV or who gives the best speech," Jindal said, saying the election is about who can turn around the economy and improve lives for future generations. "The president has done his best the last four years, but his best isn't good enough."

Jindal was in Las Vegas to campaign for U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., whose Democratic challenger is U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley. The popular governor was to speak at a private fundraiser for Heller later Wednesday.

Jindal and Heller were together in the House before Jindal was first elected governor in 2007. Heller was appointed to the Senate last year.

Jindal and Heller spoke to Republicans gathered for a debate watch party at a Team Nevada campaign office in Summerlin. About 150 supporters showed up to hear and meet Jindal and Heller before the debate.

Heller introduced Jindal and urged Republicans to work hard to elect Romney and other Republicans so the GOP can take control of the Senate and the White House.

"If Governor Romney wins, I win. Isn't that how that works?" Heller said.

"As hard as you guys work is as hard as I'm going to work for you. In 33 days, we can change the direction of this country," he added, referring to the upcoming Election Day.

The Romney campaign organized 52 "debate watch" parties statewide, and the Obama camp put together 76 parties for supporters in the Silver State.

Recent polls have shown the presidential race is tight in Nevada, one of a dozen battleground states that could decide the election. Obama, who has a slight edge over Romney in polls, spent three days in Henderson preparing for the debate, demonstrating how important a repeat victory here is to his re-election hopes.

The Obama campaign also used high-profile surrogates to rally supporters at one watch party in Las Vegas. They included U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra of California and Massachusetts state Reps. Ronald Mariano and Steve Walsh, Democrats who have been critical of Romney's record as governor of that state.

Massachusetts was 47th in job creation compared with other states under Romney, who inherited a sinking economy. He boosted job growth without raising taxes during his four years in office, much like Obama has done after inheriting a crashing economy.

Contact reporter Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal .com or 702-387-2919. Follow her on Twitter @lmyerslvrj.