Nevada makes it mark with caucus votes for GOP presidential pick
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Caucus worker Carolyn Southard, left, welcomes early primary voters as they register for Nevada's Republic Caucus in Carson City County today.
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LAS VEGAS -- Voters in Nevada have their chance to weigh in on the Republican presidential contest today with caucus votes.
A confident Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of failing to do enough to create jobs as he campaigned ahead of GOP presidential caucuses this weekend in a state with sky-high unemployment and foreclosure rates.
Newt Gingrich, who is fighting for a respectable showing here, rolled out a fresh line of criticism by comparing the former Massachusetts governor to Mr. Obama.
"It isn't good enough for the Republican Party to nominate Obama lite," Mr. Gingrich told a boisterous crowd at a rally at country music club in this entertainment hub. He argued that Mr. Romney "clearly is against the American ideal" and doesn't understand the free market.
Mr. Romney cruised to victory in Florida last Tuesday, handily won this state four years ago and is heavily favored to win today's contest. Mr. Gingrich, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum also are on the ballot. But Mr. Romney, a Mormon, has an existing network of support from his 2008 race and likely will again benefit from the support of members of his church, many of whom live in Nevada.
Clearly in command, Mr. Romney spent Friday largely ignoring Mr. Gingrich and focusing the on the economy, and for good reason. Nevada's unemployment rate was 12.6 in December -- well above the national average -- after a record economic bust that saw bustling construction sites abandoned and master-planned communities overtaken by foreclosures.
As he swept through Reno, Elko and Las Vegas, Mr. Romney sought to convince weary voters that he alone had the prescriptions for what ails the country -- even as the government reported that a quarter-million Americans streamed back into the workforce in January and unemployment tumbled to 8.3 percent. Mr. Romney acknowledged the brightening economic picture but argued that it had little to do with Mr. Obama or his policies.
First Published February 4, 2012 12:32 pm
