Democrats Gather In Nevada For First Debate

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- When the Democratic candidates for president take the stage for their first debate this week in Nevada, they'll do so in a state that serves as a reminder of why Hillary Rodham Clinton is the front-runner for the nomination.

One of the first four states to cast ballots in the presidential contest, Nevada is home to large communities of immigrants -- many who have only recently arrived in the U.S. When combined with the state's baroque caucus system, which is so complex that the rules surrounding it run 51 pages, that means winning the state and the largest share of delegates requires a higher degree of organization and effort to get-out-the-vote than in most others.

And so for all the excitement generated to date by Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, and for all the anticipation about whether Vice President Joe Biden will decide to make a late entry into the race, it is Clinton and her campaign that are set up to win when Nevada Democratic caucus next February.

Clinton installed staff on the ground in Nevada six months ago, and she now has 22 paid operatives in the state. They have recruited more than 3,000 volunteers, who have already held events in remote desert towns as well as the state's urban centers. Clinton herself has made wooing immigrants a keystone of her campaign; she announced her immigration policy approach at a Las Vegas high school this spring.

"That's a lot of shoe leather, and they've been on the ground for 5-6 months," Billy Vassiliadis, a veteran Democratic strategist in Nevada who isn't involved in the current race, said of the Clinton campaign's efforts. "That's going to be a challenge that I don't think a Sanders can overcome, that -- God bless his heart -- I don't think Joe can overcome."

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