Latino votes will be on debaters' minds in Vegas

LAS VEGAS -- Democratic presidential candidates converge Thursday night in this gambling capital as they try to strike it rich with Hispanic voters.

Nevada's growing Hispanic population is one reason the Democratic Party scheduled caucuses for Jan. 19, just after the nominating contests in the less diverse states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

"It's giving the Hispanic vote and the labor vote a voice early in the process," said state Democratic Party Chairwoman Jill Derby.

Derby and others expect immigration and jobs to be topics during tonight's Democratic presidential debate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It's the first debate since an Oct. 30 match in which John Edwards, Barack Obama and other Democratic rivals took aim at Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is leading national polls for the nomination.

The party has been using a Spanish-language website and a soccer team to reach out to Hispanics, who now make up about 24% of the state's population, up from about 20% in 2000. Chrysanthe Georges, a marketing firm owner, attributed the growth to the availability of jobs, particularly the building and staffing of casinos.

Converting that growth into Democratic votes may not be so easy, analysts said. Hispanics made up only 10% of the electorate in 2004 when President Bush narrowly beat John Kerry in Nevada, according to the Almanac of American Politics.

Andres Ramirez, who leads Hispanic outreach for Nevada Democrats, said Hispanics make up only 10% of registered voters, yet were 13% of the electorate in 2006, when the state had a hotly contested gubernatorial race.

There's also the challenge of explaining what is a political caucus, a gathering of people who don't cast ballots. As Ramirez put it, "There is no Spanish word for caucus."

Republicans, meanwhile, continue to stake a claim to the Latino vote even though leading contenders such as Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney have been outspoken in their opposition to grant citizenship to illegal immigrants. In 2004, Bush won about 40% of Hispanic voters nationally. State GOP Chairwoman Sue Lowden said Hispanics are attracted by the party's message of low taxes and economic opportunity.