‘Nevada Caucus 101’ begins

The presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton plans to begin holding dozens of meetings across Nevada to help Democrats understand what they're in for on Jan. 19.

The campaign of the U.S. senator from New York rolled out its "Nevada Caucus 101" effort on Tuesday. In addition to 32 educational meetings across the state in the coming week alone, the program also includes a new Web site and will feature a staffed hot line.

Anyone interested in caucusing, not just Clinton supporters, is invited, Clinton Nevada campaign chairman Rory Reid said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

"We're going to try to influence voters at every opportunity to support Hillary Clinton, but this is an ecumenical effort," he said. "Both Hillary Clinton and her campaign have an interest in creating an infrastructure in Nevada that will benefit Democrats in the long term."

Nevada Democrats hope the Jan. 19 caucus, which puts the state in a prestigious early spot in voting for presidential nominees, will translate to a more energized, organized party base and a good showing in the November 2008 general election and beyond.

The Clinton campaign might have put a slogan on the idea, but it doesn't have the market cornered on efforts to educate voters about the caucuses. Representatives of several other Democratic campaigns said they have been conducting their own caucus training sessions outside the "mock caucuses" and other outreach the state Democratic Party has been doing.

"The Obama campaign began our voter outreach months ago," said Shannon Gilson, Nevada spokeswoman for the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. "We've already conducted more than 120 trainings all across Nevada."

The sessions have included as few as four and as many as 270 people.

The campaigns of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson also said they had done their own training.

Edwards' campaign this week is sending campaign manager David Bonior around the state, starting in Las Vegas and traveling today to Reno, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain and Elko.

All the campaigns said they have seen an uptick in voter interest and awareness about the caucus since the Nov. 15 Democratic debate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. However, none would say whether the candidates will be back in Nevada in the next month.

With Iowans scheduled to caucus Jan. 3, candidates' efforts are focused on that state, the first to vote. However, they could still be drawn westward in the intervening weeks by a Dec. 10 debate in Los Angeles, if it isn't derailed by a possible news writers' strike, or by Nevada's Culinary union, which is expected to issue its influential endorsement next month.

Clinton supporter Pat Schroeder, a former congresswoman from Colorado, said during the conference call that campaigns are best situated to motivate people to participate in the caucus.

"The party announces the caucus and sets up the infrastructure, but it's pretty hard to say, 'Get out (and vote) because the party wants you to,'" she said. "What drives people to caucus is passion for a candidate."

Reid, chairman of the Clark County Commission, said the Clinton campaign believes it will benefit from more participation in the caucus. "Many voters see Hillary Clinton as the face of the caucus," he said, because of what he called "the best campaign organization in the history of Nevada."

The Obama campaign took issue with that remark.

"Everyday Nevadans -- whether they are students or seniors, live in Las Vegas or in rural communities -- are the face of this caucus," Gilson said.

The Clinton campaign last week sent an elaborate, expensive-looking mailer to some Nevada Democrats. The staple-bound, 16-page booklet, glossy and in color, featured photos of Nevada families, including Clinton at a house party of Hispanic supporters in August, and of the Hoover Dam, with a perforated, postage-paid response card on the back.

Campaign spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said the mailer was sent to "many thousands" of "likely supporters throughout the state."

Contact reporter Molly Ball at mball@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2919.