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...

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Interactive Graphic: Clark County Political Breakdown

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From The Politics Blog

Berkley, Titus join Biden at dinner for Greek Orthodox Church leader: WASHINGTON -- When the vice president opened his home to the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church this week, Nevada's Democratic Reps. Shelley Berkley ...

Health care debate set to take center stage: WASHINGTON – Greetings, Early Liners and let the floor debate begin. The House health care bill debate could begin this week as leaders hope to ...

Dawn Gibbons: Andre Agassi disclosure 'huge' in fight against meth abuse: Dawn Gibbons' Crystal Darkness program has spanned 27 states and Mexico, and she says Andre Agassi could use his disclosure that he used crystal meth ...

The List is a stack of blogs, thrice over, from haps at Sam Boyd, the Brooks show and a road-weary Goodman: Steve Wynn is fighting scalpers, but in the end, the law is on the side of the brokers.

Health care, climate change on front burner in D.C.: WASHINGTON -- Greetings, Early Liners. Today just might be the day so many have been waiting for, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected ...

U2 concert a full-scale spectacle, on and off the Sam Boyd Stadium stage: The night's highlights were an all-too-brief meeting with former President Clinton and a record attendance, but also included a faulty BlackBerry and UNLV jerseys not ...

Progressive group wants tougher stand from Harry Reid: WASHINGTON -- Greetings, Early Liners. No sooner did Sen. Harry Reid launch TV ads in his 2010 re-election bid than a progressive group has announced ...

Dina Titus to host health care town hall meeting: WASHINGTON -- Democratic Rep. Dina Titus will do this week what most Nevada lawmakers ably avoided during the long hot summer of Tea Party protests: ...

Politics Stories

County considers suing over travel Web site room taxes: By Joe Schoenmann; As other parts of the country win tens of millions of dollars in court judgments against online tourism companies, Clark County commissioners are talking about following suit. At issue is the amount of hotel room taxes paid by online travel sites.

Nonpartisan voters make biggest gain in October: By Cy Ryan; CARSON CITY – Democratic and Republican candidates are spending the most money but nonpartisan voters made the biggest gains in registration in October.

House poised for historic vote: After six months of angry debate, one final bill ready for roll call; By Lisa Mascaro; The long, national health care debate is about to come to an end, at least in one chamber of Congress. But it is not drawing to a close quietly. The House is preparing for a weekend vote that cannot come quickly enough for Nevada’s Democratic lawmakers.

Las Vegas mayor still mulling over running for governor: Oscar Goodman sounds more interested in running an independent candidate; By Dave Toplikar; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said today he's still "just thinking" about running for governor next year. "I'm trying to figure out for myself whether or not I want to give up the pleasure of being the mayor of Las Vegas ... or the wonderful things I believe are happening in contrast to getting involved in a heated race," Goodman said this morning.

Detained for years but never charged: DAILY MEMO: Lawsuit by witness held in Vegas could affect government actions; By Richard A. Serrano; Many people wanted by authorities come to Las Vegas to hide. Abdullah al-Kidd came here so the federal government could keep an eye on him. For about three years he lived here, much of it under house arrest, while federal lawyers in Idaho prosecuted a suspected Islamic terrorist. Al-Kidd was supposed to be a star witness.

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A venue for all types of pros: Ron Kantowski: Even if a big corporation does build an arena downtown, that’s no reason to pursue a sports team. Is it, Mayor?; By Ron Kantowski; One more reason why I love Las Vegas: I can get the mayor on the phone even when I don’t leave a message.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid takes part in a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thu

What East Coast results might hold for Titus, Reid: Should Nevada’s two vulnerable Democrats worry about the parallels between their party’s mixed results in this year’s races, and their own in 2010?; By Lisa Mascaro; Even before the polls closed in far-flung New York, New Jersey and Virginia, the spin was under way deciphering what Tuesday’s results could mean for Nevada’s political landscape in 2010. The 2009 contests are the first significant measure of the electoral mood in the Obama era, and both Democrats and Republicans saw advantages they did not want to go unnoticed.

Dina Titus backing House health care plan after changes: By Lisa Mascaro; WASHINGTON -- Democratic Rep. Dina Titus dropped her opposition today to the House health care bills, saying changes have been made since she voted against it in committee in July and it has now won her support.

Lowden: ‘I didn’t laugh about it’: But tape of exchange over Reid bomb story reveals otherwise; By David McGrath Schwartz, Cy Ryan; Was it a chuckle or a laugh? And what, exactly, was she laughing at? The talk radio exchange that set off the skirmish between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sue Lowden, one of his Republican challengers, was dissected Tuesday on the Northern Nevada TV program “Nevada Newsmakers.”

Michael MacQuarrie, owner of a small business in Las Vegas, traveled to Washington to urge Congress

Their stories heard on the Hill: Small-business owners go to D.C. to testify for reform; By Lisa Mascaro; Michael MacQuarrie never cared for politics. Never had much faith in politicians. But here he was Tuesday in the Capitol and, later, at the White House — part of the lobby machine on health care reform. MacQuarrie and other small-business owners had been summoned to share their stories and press for health care reform.