Las Vegas Casino Caucus Showcases Blue-Collar Vote

Hillary Clinton won the first round of the Nevada Caucuses, beating her nearest rival Barack Obama, with 51 percent of the voters who caucused compared to 45 percent for Obama. John Edwards finished a distant third with 4 percent of the vote, according to the Nevada Democratic Party.

Clinton's victory included a surprising 11 percent margin in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located and where Obama was backed by two of Nevada's strongest labor unions, the Culinary Workers and Service Employees. In contrast, Obama beat Clinton in many rural counties.

As the caucus results were tallied, the Obama campaign issued a press release saying he would emerge with 13 delegates from Nevada at the Democratic National Convention, compared to 12 for Clinton. That assertion was based the state party's arcane formula for awarding delegates, which varies from county to county. However, Nevada Democratic Party officials replied that conclusion was premature, as the delegates elected on Saturday first have to pass through a county and state nominating process.

Nonetheless, the nation's first western presidential contest was filled with firsts. Voter turnout was historic and unprecedented, with 120,000 voters -- including thousands who registered to vote before caucusing, according to party officials. In contrast, barely 10,000 people participated in 2004's Democratic Caucuses.

Party leaders were jubilant as the surveyed the results on Saturday afternoon at the Las Vegas Convention Center. From their perspective, the caucus energized and enlarged their party, even though there were problems reported, such as voters who were turned away from some locations and confusion over the rules at others.

"Come November, we're all Democrats," was repeatedly heard as party officials congratulated each other.

CAUCUSING AT THE CASINO

Nevada's Caucuses also included special precincts at nine Las Vegas casinos so workers there could help select delegates without losing a day's pay. The Democratic National Committee and state party created these at-large precincts specifically to engage blue-collar minority voters.

One such caucus, at the Luxor -- Las Vegas' famous pyramid-shaped hotel -- was all that party officials could hope for. As the noon start time approached, a parade of valets, maids, buffet servers, cooks, food runners, waitresses, and others dressed in uniforms from Luxor and two adjacent hotels filled a large ballroom decorated with flags and a banner declaring "MGM-Mirage Supports 2008 Caucus." The hotel's president even visited, saying caucusing was more important than getting back to work.

One-third of the attendees registered to vote before caucusing. Party officials said the combined turnout at the nine casino sites was 2,600 voters. Although that figure was less than predicted, they still said the casino caucuses were an unqualified success. "We were able to mobilize so many first-time voters," said Andres Ramirez, who oversees outreach for the Nevada state party.

At 10 minutes past noon, the Egyptian Ballroom's doors were closed and the caucus began. The room was filled with 383 voters, party officials, observers from the campaigns, and members of the media.

The caucus-goers filled three sections of chairs pointing to the podium. In the right and center banks were 231 people mostly wearing Barack Obama stickers and T-Shirts over their uniforms. To the left were 152 people most supporting Hillary Clinton. Edwards' did not send a representative to lead his delegation. The caucus chairman asked a Clinton supporter to fill that role for his campaign.

When television cameras turned on their lights, the room erupted into dueling cheers. "It was a lot like a South American soccer game with fans from each team," said Tova Wang, Democracy Fellow at The Century Foundation, who was observing the process.