Presidential candidates boost pace in Nevada

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is beginning radio ads in Nevada. Democrat Barack Obama is buying more airtime on Nevada television and radio. And John Edwards and Bill Richardson, both Democrats, are getting infusions of new workers in the state.

The political campaigns are ramping up in Nevada in the wake of Thursday's Iowa caucuses, which were won by Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee. Nevada has Democratic and Republican presidential nominating caucuses on Jan. 19, two weeks from today.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Romney, who placed second in Iowa, is beginning his first radio ads in Nevada next week, according to his campaign.

The 60-second spot focusing on illegal immigration, titled "Exceptional," will go into heavy rotation statewide. In it, a narrator condemns "sanctuary cities" that have policies prohibiting local officials from asking people about their immigration status.

The ad has run in Iowa and New Hampshire. Its mention of New York City has been seen as an implicit rebuke of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

"Mitt Romney is the exceptional governor who took a stand so state police could enforce federal immigration laws," the ad states. "And as president, Mitt Romney will cut back federal funds to cities that provide sanctuary to illegal immigrants."

Romney himself chimes in, "Legal immigration is great. But illegal immigration, that we've got to end."

Another Republican, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, has been airing radio ads in Nevada for several weeks.

Obama's campaign said Friday that its television airtime will triple starting today. In a new 30-second spot, titled "Mother," the Illinois senator tells of his mother's death from cancer at age 53.

"In those last painful months, she was more worried about paying her medical bills than getting well," Obama says, addressing the camera. "I hear stories like hers every day."

Obama's appeal has been attributed to his message of changing the political climate. In the ad, he says, "Unless we stop the bickering and the lobbyists, we'll be in the same place 20 years from now. I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message because, to fix health care, we have to fix Washington."

"Mother" replaces a previous Obama ad, about his ethics reform record, that had been airing in Nevada.

Obama rival Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, who finished third in Iowa, is the only other candidate airing television ads on Nevada networks.

Obama has begun a new round of ads on Spanish-language radio. He also aired Spanish radio ads in August.

The new ad, "Character," touts Obama's "buzz," using a Spanish proverb, "If a river is making noise, it's because the water is alive."

Obama, the ad says, is "a lawyer who knows the laws of this country" and who "will conduct effective social programs."

The campaign of former North Carolina Sen. Edwards, who edged Clinton for a second-place showing in Iowa, says it has plans to advertise on Nevada TV but hasn't started.

However, on Friday, the campaign said 75 new staffers were heading straight to Nevada from Iowa. That's nearly a tripling of Edwards' existing Nevada staff, which the campaign has put at about 40.

A spokesman said the new staffers would mostly be field organizers but would include senior campaign officials.

Richardson got just 2 percent of the Iowa vote, which he prefers to see as finishing in the "final four."

The New Mexico governor's Nevada spokesman, Josh McNeil, said Friday that 10 staffers who previously went from Nevada to Iowa, ostensibly to be trained in the caucus process, would be returning, along with an unspecified number of additional staff and volunteers.

"They're on planes and in automobiles as we speak," he said.

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