Nevada has gone Republican in the last two presidential elections - President Bush beat John Kerry here by two points and Al Gore by four - as well as in eight of the last ten presidential elections. But Barack Obama feels he can win the state, thanks in part to an influx of outsiders - the state's population grew by more than 10 percent in three years, with many of the new residents coming from more liberal states. There has also been a significant influx of Hispanic residents, a group that tends to vote Democrat.

Obama may not be the best positioned Democrat to win the state, however - he has struggled to win over Latinos, as evidenced by his loss to Hillary Clinton in the state's Democratic caucuses where Hispanics preferred Clinton to Obama almost 2-to-1. McCain's relative moderation on immigration could help him compete for Latino votes. One key issue in the state: The proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain. McCain has suggested that the facility could be "unnecessary," though he favors it. Obama opposes the plan.