Nevada's turn; spotlight turns here this month

LAS VEGAS — Nevada is preparing for its Cinderella moment.

While Iowa and New Hampshire get the bulk of their attention, Republican presidential candidates are starting to step up their activity in the state that votes next in the string of nominating contests and whose caucuses could scramble the GOP race.

The Nevada caucuses had been tentatively set for Feb. 18, but state Republicans voted Saturday to move them up to January. That would put them ahead of Florida's newly scheduled Jan. 31 primary — but will cost Nevada half of its delegates to the GOP's national convention.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Georgia businessman Herman Cain have been working Nevada for months in advance of the caucuses. They've hired campaign staffs, opened offices and assembled networks of volunteers.

The other candidates are starting to follow, mindful of the huge fundraising and popularity bump that comes with winning one of the three states that kick off the voting.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman added a Nevada casino titan to his financial team this month. Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachman and Texas Gov. Rick Perry are chatting up potential field coordinators and are expected to visit soon.

State Republicans hope the contest will make Nevada a major player in 2012, four years after the state botched its caucuses. Nevada wanted to become a king-maker in 2008, but its nonbinding, winner-takes-all caucuses at the time offered candidates few reasons to campaign early in the state.

For 2012, the vote will be binding and delegates will be decided proportionally, giving less prominent candidates a reason to compete.

"We've learned," said GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval. "You can see the momentum statewide" this time.

The spotlight turns to Nevada this month when national Republicans and Democrats hold conferences in Las Vegas. The events will bookend a GOP debate on Oct. 18, the only remaining candidate forum scheduled west of Iowa before January.

Of all the Republicans, Romney has focused on Nevada the most. He's spent months setting up offices and securing endorsements from lawmakers across the vast, mostly rural state.

Nevada figures so prominently that he recently announced his jobs plan at a North Las Vegas trucking company and held a telephone town hall with voters last week in which he noted the state's struggling economy.