Bush team, Nevada delegates talk strategy

Suzanne Struglinski

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2004 | 9:43 a.m.

NEW YORK -- Key members of the Bush campaign and the Republican Party challenged Nevada delegates to build even strong volunteer organizations and recruit more voters as Election Day nears.

Four officials, including Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot, a former Montana governor, told the delegation at breakfast about the state's importance in the battle for the White House and the need for them to make sure the state goes for Bush.

"Anything you are thinking of doing on behalf of the president and the vice president, do it," Racicot said. "It makes a difference."

"It is critically important that each of us make the contribution we are making, don't quit," Racicot said in the Rehga Royal hotel ballroom, overlooking Central Park. "Steel yourselves the possibility of giving more than you ever have before. The whole of our efforts are immensely greater than the sum of the parts."

Maria Cino, deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee, doubled the state party's goal of registering 600 new Republicans a week to 1,200 new voters from now until the election. The RNC will send out 50,000 pieces of mail in the state in the next week to register voters, she said.

"We are down to the final quarter here, I am asking each and every one of you to give one solid week of your time to volunteer for this campaign," Cino said. "Help us get an edge. Your state has passed every test, but we can't stop."

Cino said knocking on doors, even in the summer heat of Clark County, can raise the vote enough to make a difference in this election.

"Each and every one of you is going to make history," Cino said. "It could be the state of Nevada that decides the election. In this election it's the ground game that can win."

It included a tally of votes from 2000 showing that Bush won Nevada by a 21,597 vote margin.

Steve Schmidt, the campaign's deputy communications director, and Alberto Gonzales, counsel to the president, also reminded the delegates of how critical Nevada is to the contest.

Schmidt talked about Kerry's changing position on key issues through his votes in the Senate, namely his vote not to send money to troops in Iraq and his absence on Intelligence Committee meetings.

"This is a Democratic ticket that is out of the mainstream," Schmidt said. "I follow John Kerry very closely and am not sure what's his agenda and what his plan is."

Because Nevada is considered a battleground state, given the close 20000 election and the small difference in registration between the major parties, both parties are pushing hard for the state's five electoral votes. Both candidates have visited and the campaigns have made other high-profile stops here.

"Nevada will deliver," said State Republican Party Chairwoman Earlene Forsythe. "You look in this room and see all the players. We will deliver the state, we must deliver our state."

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