USA: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama descend on Nevada's wild frontier for a high-stakes campaign showdown

Record ID: 1538062

  • Title: USA: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama descend on Nevada's wild frontier for a high-stakes campaign showdown
  • Date: 19th January 2008
  • Summary: OBAMA SHAKING HANDS
  • Embargoed: 3rd February 2008 10:58
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABULY5CG7ZFZDJXDXMFZ8MAPIK
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: A tiny town in the Nevada prairie has become a battleground for candidates ahead of Saturday's Nevada caucuses.
    The remote mining town of Elko, Nevada became the unlikely centre of the battle to lead the United States on Friday (January 18) as several candidates came to town on the eve of the state's presidential nomination contests.
    The rural area, perched amidst snow-covered mountains in a bleak prairie landscape, played host to Democratic hopefuls Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, who are both caught up in a last-minute frenzy of campaigning.
    Residents of all ages packed a gymnasium to see Clinton, who flew in from Las Vegas to give her stump speech to the rapt audience.

    "I'm really proud of our state," said resident Lucy Campbell, adding that it pleased her to be recognized "for something good for a change other than gambling and prostitution."
    Though the hall was filled with plenty of Clinton supporters, many voters said they planned to listen to both Democratic frontrunners before making up their mind.

    "I'm here to hear what all is being said, not only by her but by Obama and everybody else," said long-time resident Earl Longo, who works in one of the region's thriving gold mines.
    Candidates like Clinton are well aware of the Elko's political clout, which though it has fewer than 30,000 residents, has a legacy of strong voter turnout.
    Clinton told residents: "I said in the beginning of the campaign that I had to get to Elko."
    Barack Obama's visit on Friday was his second since announcing his candidacy - a mark of his campaign's focus on the region.
    In a brief question-and-answer session after making his pitch, the Senator was pressed to clarify his position on agriculture policy - a hot topic in this community of ranchers.

    "I've been championing agriculture for many years," Obama said to his audience in Elko's High School gym.
    "And my priority when it comes to livestock is number one, that we are helping the families the family farmer and the family rancher, so that we're not seeing huge consolidations of agribusiness."
    On Saturday (January 19), voters in Nevada will choose Democratic and Republican presidential candidates in a series of state-wide caucuses.
    Among GOP candidates, only Mitt Romney has campaigned in the region in the week leading up to the event.
    Other hopefuls in the Republican race including Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mike Huckabee, have focused on their party's higher-profile contest in South Carolina.
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