Kirsten Searer, deputy executive director of the Nevada Democratic Party, said that the religion of a candidate is not something that seems to concern many Nevadans. After all, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, is a Mormon, as are many of the state legislators and local officials.

"The church has deep roots in this state, and I just don't see the voters having a bias," she said.

What they are concerned with, as evidenced during Romney's visit, are bigger policy issues. Regardless of the candidate's religion or political party, the state is pleased to be on the radar of presidential candidates of both parties. Two Democrats — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois have visited Elko — and Obama even has a campaign office in the downtown.

While he did not address his religion, Romney did tackle issues in Elko that he said seem to be on voter's minds nearly everywhere he goes. At the top of that list was the Iraq war and immigration.

Regarding Iraq, he said that while he supports the troop surge right now, he would like to see American troops move into more of a management role as the Iraqi government takes charge. He said that the bigger issue is the global fight against terrorism, which he vowed to fight both militarily and diplomatically, by helping moderate Islamic governments maintain power to quell the spread of radical Islam.

As for immigration, he criticized a proposal now before Congress that would give amnesty to illegal aliens. Instead, he wants to make it easier for people to legally enter the United States, especially those who have skills that are in high demand here.

"Putting in place amnesty just encourages more illegal immigration," he said.

Speaking about use of natural resources and public lands, he admitted that he did not know the issues as well as he would like, but wanted to learn. But he said that states should control their land use as much as possible and mining should be encouraged, not discouraged, to hasten America's energy independence.

"States have certain rights, but it seems that we continue to retreat from those rights," he said. "Nevada should have the right to manage their land and resources in the way that the people of Nevada see fit."

Romney also reminded the crowd that their state is an important player in the national election because of its early caucus and since Nevada was a swing state in 2004. Along with the Elko stop, he is planning trips to Reno and Las Vegas next week, and it is likely he will return to the Elko area again this fall.

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E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com