Republicans come, but just for the money

J. Patrick Coolican and Michael J. Mishak

Friday, Sept. 28, 2007 | 7:28 a.m.

Rudy Giuliani was in Las Vegas on Thursday, but unless supporters were willing to fork over $250 or $2,300 for dinner and a photo, they weren't going to see him. It was a touchdown for cash only.

Giuliani's decision to avoid campaigning or traveling beyond the traditional Republican money-corridor - McCarran International Airport to the Venetian and back - seemed a blow to state Republicans' hope for a high-profile presidential caucus. The party hoped that moving its caucus es to Jan. 19, making them among the earliest in the nation, would garner attention from candidates and thrust Nevada issues onto the national agenda.

State party Chairwoman Sue Lowden said this summer that she expected activity to pick up after the Iowa Straw Poll in mid-August. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appeared in Nevada on the heels of his victory in Iowa and has hired a state director, but none of the other top-tier candidates has campaigned in the state, and none has hired staff.

"I think we forget there is a Republican caucus," said Jennifer Duffy, who's analyzing the presidential race for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

State party officials disagree and say they are progressing on schedule, but it's clear that 16 weeks before votes are cast the Republican and Democratic caucuses have diverged. Republican candidates, save Romney, seem to have written off the state as unimportant. Democrats have invested heavily in talent, money and time.

Republicans have been hindered by a late start, but more important, the encroachment of South Carolina Republicans, who recently decided to have their primary on the same day .

South Carolina appears to be the proving ground of every top-tier Republican. Each has a different strategy: Romney and Arizona Sen. John McCain need to win early; Giuliani needs to survive January; and actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson needs to win the South. In other words, the strategy of each entails doing well in South Carolina.

With all eyes on that state, Nevada will be ignored, said Chuck Todd, political director of NBC News. The candidates know that and see little reason to spend time in the Silver State.

On the Democratic side, Nevada has Jan. 19 all alone. Even if the calendar changes, as it likely will, the state party has important allies in Washington, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who wish to ensure a Western, labor-rich, ethnically diverse state such as Nevada has a role in the nomination process.

State Democrats say the caucuses are helping them develop political talent and generate excitement at the grass roots, buoying hopes that the state will vote for the Democratic candidate in the general election for the first time since 1996.

(To be sure, though, the Democratic caucus es are not receiving nearly the attention or resources as Iowa or New Hampshire, the traditional early states.)

Zach Moyle, executive director of the state Republican Party, said he and caucus director Hans Gullickson, who has Iowa caucus experience, have traveled to every Nevada county, educating local officials and voters on the caucus es . Moyle and Gullickson, who commutes from Denver, have staged two caucus-training sessions a week for the past month.

Moyle said Republicans will hire two field workers soon . So far, Moyle and Gullickson have been doing all the work .

By contrast, the Democrats have an Iowa consultant who ran the Iowa caucus es in 2004, a full-time caucus director, a national media team and at least 16 other full-time caucus workers. That effort is bolstered by the candidates, all of whom have significant paid staff and volunteer operations.

The Republican budget is less than half that of the Democrats, a true oddity in politics. Pete Ernaut, a Republican lobbyist and political consultant, is responsible for raising $550,000 to $600,000 to pay for the contest. He said he will reach the halfway point by the end of next week.

Moyle downplayed the effect of the South Carolina Republican primary, saying Nevada's voting offers candidates a chance to distinguish themselves in a static field.

"The race is all shaped out in the three other states," he said, referring to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. "How much mileage are you going to get that you haven't already gotten? Nevada is a ripe state. We're wide open."

Republicans are trying to draw candidates to a central committee meeting in October and two candidate forums in early December.

Chuck Muth, who was instrumental in moving up the caucus date before quitting the party out of frustration over what he considers ideological drift, said he doesn't expect much to change. He has organized a conservative conference in Reno next month, which will include a blue-chip roster of conservative activists and thinkers. But among the candidates, only Romney has committed to attend.

"There's only so many hours in a day and only so many places you can go," Muth said. "If you're a Republican you want to go to South Carolina, Florida and Michigan. There's nothing to compete for here. There is no prize to win," he said, referring to the lack of national media attention and to the fact that the Republican caucus es , unlike the Democrats', will be nonbinding, meaning the winner doesn't claim any delegates to the party's nominating convention.

Despite the dearth of presidential visits, the party has seen an uptick in activism and interest that will pay off in the general election, Moyle said.

"A lot of people are getting excited about January before they are looking at other things," he said. "Everything we build up is for November. The end goal has always been 100 percent November."

Still, enthusiasm surrounding the Democratic caucus es has already had tangible results. Democrats surpassed Republicans in active voter registration in April, and their numbers continue to rise.