Gore scores big in state caucus

Martin Griffith

Monday, March 13, 2000 | 10:57 a.m.

RENO -- Vice President Al Gore was expected to have Nevada's 29 delegates solidly behind him after an uncontested victory Sunday in the state's Democratic caucuses.

The vote lacked suspense after Bill Bradley pulled out of the race last week in the wake of Gore's overwhelming Super Tuesday showing.

With all but one of Nevada's 17 counties reporting, Gore had 962 votes, or 90 percent, to Bradley's 24 votes, or 2 percent. A total of 73 votes, or 6 percent, were uncommitted.

The remaining 2 percent of the vote was split among Ralph Nader, Hillary Clinton and Lyndon LaRouche.

Bradley, who had to get at least 15 percent of the votes cast in either of Nevada's two congressional districts to win any delegates, fell well short of that threshold.

The caucuses marked the start of a three-step process to select Nevada's 29 delegates to the national convention in August in Los Angeles. The process culminates at the state convention May 19-21 in Las Vegas.

Gore was expected to pick up all 20 delegates at stake Sunday because his supporters will control the state convention.

Nine other delegates -- including Nevada's three congressional Democrats -- can go uncommitted, but Gore already appears to have their support as well, state party Chairman Rory Reid said.

"It appears the vice president will control the Nevada delegation," Reid said.

"(He) has a history of doing well in Nevada, and it appears he energized the party faithful and caused the turnout to be high again."

More than 1,000 Democrats voted Sunday, up from about 600 four years ago, Reid said.

Gore appeared at an October rally and fund-raiser in Las Vegas but didn't campaign in Nevada before the caucuses.

Nevada was one of seven states he carried in 1988 in an unsuccessful bid for president. The Clinton-Gore ticket carried Nevada in the 1992 and 1996 general elections.

Gore said weekend victories in Nevada and elsewhere helped give him momentum for his race against Republican George W. Bush.

"Today was a great victory in Nevada, but let me tell you -- you ain't seen nothing yet," he said in a statement. "Our fight for the working families of this country has just begun."

Although polls have shown Bush leading Gore in Nevada, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he thinks Gore can capture Nevada because of his opposition to plans to locate a nuclear waste dump in the state.

"If Bush is elected president, Nevada will have nuclear waste in six months," Reid told the Daily Sparks Tribune.