Sun, Jan 27, 2008 (2 a.m.)
It’s one thing to start a fire in the woods of New Hampshire or the cornfields of Iowa. It’s another to set the Mojave Desert ablaze, as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards did in Nevada last week.
With the presidential primary season moving toward the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday voting in 24 states, the state whose voters have provided the best look at the national mood this election year is, surprisingly, Nevada. The state Democratic Party announced this week that an astonishing 117,599 Democrats turned out to caucus last Saturday — 12 times the number who caucused four years ago.
To be sure, across the country, “everybody’s expectations are out the window right now,” said Michael McDonald, an expert on voter turnout at George Mason University. “Nobody has ever seen this much interest in a campaign at this point in the election cycle.”
That national interest propelled the presidential contests this month in Iowa and New Hampshire, with both states also drawing record participation. (Breakdowns of the results of South Carolina’s Democratic primary Saturday were not available at press time.)
But the experience in those states pales compared with Nevada. History shows why.
Iowa and New Hampshire have long traditions of political involvement. The political parties are strong and active. The electorate, largely white and stable, is familiar with the rhythms of campaigns and the occasionally complex procedures involved in presidential nominating contests.
Nevada, to be blunt, has none of the above.
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http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jan/27/us-voters-fired-nevadans/