2008 Caucus Guide

Chris Morris / Las Vegas Sun

For the first time, Nevada’s Democrats and Republicans will have a chance to play a stronger role in who the nominees will be for president by being among a select group of states picked to hold primaries and caucuses in January.

Caucus 101: A basic guide on how to participate. Or, read more about the logistics of Jan. 19.

By being one of the early states, Nevada’s caucuses are hoped to gain the state more national attention, bring in more presidential candidates and thus raise awareness of Western issues. More background...

Candidate selector:

Find the candidate who agrees with you the most on the issues

Interactive Graphic: Clark County Political Breakdown

Play the Caucus Trivia Game

From The Politics Blog

Carlos Santana finds a lot to identify with in Andre Agassi's 'Open': Carlos Santana and Andre Agassi are kindred spirits, Santana said during an appearance at Andre Agassi Preparatory Academy.

Harry Reid back at White House for health care talks: WASHINGTON -- Greetings, Early Liners and welcome to this Friday afternoon political wrap-up.

Harry Reid's GOP opposition vows to repeal 'ObamaCare': WASHINGTON – Three of the Republicans vying for the chance to run against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this year signed a pledge today – ...

Can Harry Reid keep 60 Democrats? Analyst not so sure: WASHINGTON -- Hello, Early Liners. Lots of moving parts today so here’s an afternoon political round-up for your perusal.

Michelle Obama: Harry Reid has 'no need to apologize': First Lady Michelle Obama said today that Senate Majority Leader Harry "has no need to apologize" to her for his racially insensitive remarks about her ...

Magazine feature on Reid comes at opportune time: WASHINGTON — A preview of the New York Times Magazine story coming Sunday on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is now available, sure to introduce ...

New decade begins with optimism: Greetings, Early Liners. That New Year optimism is palpable, with much anticipation about the new decade being better than the lost one left behind — ...

A careening look back at a year in blogging in The Kats Report: What to make of 2009 in Las Vegas? Not a great year, maybe a mostly lousy year, but it had its moments.

Politics Stories

Gov. Jim Gibbons discusses his speech with Dan Burns, his communications director as the governor pr

Governor sounds like the GOP candidate he is, observers say: By David McGrath Schwartz; The lesson of the night was that no matter who’s talking, the message is motivated by politics. In a State of the State address that sounded more like a rallying cry for conservatives to re-elect him, Gov. Jim Gibbons on Monday burnished his credentials.

A flier advertises a student walkout at UNLV to protest proposed budget cuts. Organizers are asking

In throwback to 1960s, students plan walkout today to protest budget cuts: UNLV provost cautions students, faculty; By Emily Richmond; Taking a page from earlier generations of Southern Nevada campus activists, UNLV students plan a walkout today to oppose Gov. Jim Gibbons’ proposed budget cuts. They may have to dust off their protest manual.

Gibbons: No battle expected over taxes during special session: By Cy Ryan; CARSON CITY – At a press conference after his State of the State address, Gov. Jim Gibbons said he expects the special session to last longer than one day but he didn't see a fight over taxes, as occurred in 2009. He said he talked to many Democrats who don’t want to boost taxes in the special session.

Gov. Jim Gibbons prepares to give his state of the state speech upstairs in the Capitol building in

Gibbons: Time to reinvent state government: By Michael Mishak; In his State of the State address Monday night, Gov. Jim Gibbons said Nevada could cut its way out of an $881 million deficit -- and "reinvent" the role of state government in the process.

Full text of Gov. Jim Gibbons' State of the State address: The following is the full text of Gov. Jim Gibbons' State of the State address, delivered at 6 p.m. Monday.

Harry Reid's co-writer unloads while discussing polls, Obama quote: By Mark Warren; Mark Warren, co-author of Harry Reid’s The Good Fight, discusses what he thinks of Reid’s poll numbers, the infamous Obama quote and what it really takes to govern. "In most ways, he is the least likely politician I've ever met," Warren writes.

Governor plans emergency address on Nevada budget: Associated Press; Nevada's budget is so far out of balance that by one account the state could lay off every worker paid from the general fund and still be $300 million in the red. The economic downturn has hit so hard that prisons may be closed, entire colleges shuttered and thousands left without jobs.

Reducing congressional politics to a numbers game: LETTER FROM WASHINGTON: Despite his status as the 41st, Brown not the only Republican who has sway; By Lisa Mascaro; One of the emerging trends in this hyperpartisan era of politics is the enhanced view senators have of their ability to be the one person who can make or break the legislative agenda.

Yucca Mountain is located about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

What’s next for Yucca? Restoration: YUCCA MOUNTAIN:; By Stephanie Tavares; When it was on the drawing boards, the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste dump promised unprecedented challenges to nuclear engineers and physicists: How to safely store nuclear waste underground?

The Obama administration promised Monday it would withdraw the application to open a nuclear waste r

Harry Reid leads push to end nuke waste project Nevada never wanted: By Lisa Mascaro; After all the years spent fighting the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, a phone call on a Wednesday in July between the Senate majority leader and the new energy secretary turned the tide.