SNEAK PEEK: Como Se Dice "Caucus"?
Democratic and Republican voters caucus in N.V. while S.C. holds its GOP primary
January 18, 2008— -- 1 days until the Nevada caucuses
1 days until South Carolina GOP primary
Every single day in 2008 has been a 24-hour marathon of campaign events, conference calls, back and forth sniping, and little sleep.
Sometimes the candidates and the reporters trailing them may not even realize what city they are in (Hello Cleveland!) or what day it is (October?).
So Michelle Obama can be excused when she slipped up in Reno today and shouted that she was glad to be in Nevada. At least she got the state right. Problem was the residents of the Silver State are a wee bit sensitive when it comes to the pronunciation of their state, ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports. It's Nuh-VAD-uh – Do not say Nuh-VAH-duh.
In just 24 hours will it really matter? All chips will be cashed – and the lucky winners will go home on the plus side, with a chunk of delegates and perhaps a pocket full of coin.
On the other side of the country on Saturday, the Republicans square off in the South Carolina primary and polls show a close race between John McCain and Mike Huckabee.
Nuts and bolts of the Nevada Caucuses
| Democrats: |
| Caucus meeting begins at 2:30 pm ET |
| Preference groups form at 3:00 pm ET |
| Second alignment begins at 3:15 pm ET |
| Results start coming into Nevada Democratic Party at 5:00 pm ET -- www.NVDems.com |
| Republicans: |
| Caucus meetings begin at 12:00 pm ET |
| Straw vote begins at 12:15 pm ET - 12:45 pm ET |
| Precincts are asked to conclude meeting at 1:00 pm ET (but there is no rule which dictates what time voting must end) |
| First results will be posted at 1-1:30 pm ET |
| Outcome likely known 3:30 pm ET |
| All results will be in by 4:00 pm ET |
Some things to look for:
-- With all the attention on the at-large Vegas strip precincts, don't forget that just as in Iowa, you get more bang for your buck in the rural, less populated parts of the state
-- The Clinton camp is accusing the culinary workers of threatening the jobs of workers who don't back Obama. Will anyone be able to substantiate the allegations (it is Friday night, the clock is ticking)?
-- Saturday's caucuses offer the first chance to test Sergio Bendixen's theory that Hispanics are Hillary's firewall.
-- With the GOP contest shaping up to be a delegate game, there are more delegates to be had in the Silver State than in the Palmetto State Saturday – something we expect to hear from the Romney campaign sometime tomorrow evening
Nuts and bolts of the South Carolina Republican primary:
| POLLS OPEN: | 7:00 AM ET |
| POLLS CLOSE: | 7:00 PM ET |
Twenty-four Republican delegates are up for grabs Saturday and the South Carolina Republican primary sets up an interesting 10 day sprint to the Florida primary later this month.
Some things to look for:
-- John McCain: Can he win enough support among the veterans and military voters and in the moderate coastal areas to offset any large losses in the more conservative Upstate
-- Fred Thompson: Will the slow Southern drawl win over voters or is the Palmetto State his last stand? Will he take away social conservatives votes from Huckabee?
-- Does Ron Paul finish ahead of Rudy again?
-- A solid bronze medal showing will still win Mitt Romney a few delegates
Which campaign takes a first crack at this softball from Mitt Romney. ABC News' Matt Stuart reports that when Mike Huckabee chose to go on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno the night before the Iowa caucuses, Romney criticized him for being more interested in the "caucuses in LA than the caucuses in Iowa."
Today Romney is singing a different tune and now thinks Leno is a great idea – if the magic worked for Huckabee, maybe it will work for Romney. "I figure it's the only way I can be in South Carolina and Nevada at the same time. But in reality, Mike Huckabee did it before Iowa and he won, so maybe it'll do the same thing for me."
Keep an eye on…
New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg who continues to say he is not a candidate in this presidential race – yet reportedly had lunch in Texas today with Clay Mulford, campaign manager for Ross Perot and ballot access expert. Per the AP, "an individual close to the mayor" confirmed the lunch meeting. Bloomberg is scheduled to be in California this weekend meeting with Gov. Schwarzenegger and PA Gov. Ed Rendell to talk about infrastructure.
On the campaign trail…
JOHN MCCAIN
-- 11:30 am ET: Visits polling station, Charleston, SC
-- 7:00 pm ET: Attends event with supporters, Charleston, SC
MITT ROMNEY
-- 10:30 am ET: Meets with voters at event, Las Vegas, NV
-- 6:45 pm ET: Holds rally with voters, Jacksonville, FL
MIKE HUCKABEE
-- 7:00 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Columbia, SC
RUDY GIULIANI
-- Holds press availability following tour of Florida Everglades, TBA, FL
-- 5:15 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, The Villages, FL
-- 7:30 pm ET: Delivers remarks to voters at event, The Villages, FL
FRED THOMPSON
-- 7:30 pm ET: Holds event with voters, Columbia, SC
RON PAUL
-- 12:00 pm ET: Visits Charleston precinct(s), Charleston, NV
-- 3:45 pm ET: Visits voting precincts, Lexington and Columbia, SC
-- 7:00 pm ET: Attends event with supporters, Columbia, SC
As for the Democrats…
HILLARY CLINTON
-- 4:00 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Las Vegas, NV
-- 9:00 pm ET: Hosts event with former President Clinton and voters, St. Louis, MO
BARACK OBAMA
-- Holds events in Las Vegas, NV
JOHN EDWARDS
-- 10:15 am ET: Attends rally with voters, St. Louis, MO
-- 2:30 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, Atlanta, GA
-- 7:15 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Greenville, SC
Sunday, January 20, 2008
MITT ROMNEY
-- Appears on Fox News Sunday
MIKE HUCKABEE
-- Attends fundraiser at Chuck Norris Ranch, College Station, TX
RUDY GIULIANI
-- Appears on This Week with George Stephanopoulos
-- 8:30 am ET: Attends rally with voters, Tampa, FL
-- 10:45 am ET: Attends rally with voters, Sun City Center, FL
-- 1:15 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, New Port Richey, FL
-- 3:45 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, Polk City, FL
-- 5:15 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, Celebration, FL
As for the Democrats…
BARACK OBAMA
-- 10:00 am ET: Delivers remarks at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA
-- 4:30 pm ET: Attends rally with voters, Columbia, SC
JOHN EDWARDS
-- Appears on Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer
-- 12:00 pm ET: Meets with voters at event, Newberry, SC
-- 2:00 pm ET: Meets with voters at event, Winnsboro, SC
Monday, January 21, 2008
JOHN MCCAIN
-- 10:00 am ET: Attends rally with Florida Military Veterans, Pensacola, FL
-- 11:30 am ET: Attends rally with Florida Military Veterans, TBD, FL
-- 5:00 pm ET: Attends fundraising event with supporters, Jacksonville, FL
As for the Democrats…
BARACK OBAMA
-- 8:00 pm ET: Attends CNN/Congressional Black Caucus Institute Democratic Presidential Primary Debate, Myrtle Beach, SC
HILLARY CLINTON
-- 8:00 pm ET: Attends CNN/Congressional Black Caucus Institute Democratic Presidential Primary Debate, Myrtle Beach, SC
JOHN EDWARDS
-- 10:30 am ET: Addresses the NAACP's King Day at the Dome Rally, Columbia, SC
-- 8:00 pm ET: Attends CNN/Congressional Black Caucus Institute Democratic Presidential Primary Debate, Myrtle Beach, SC
DENNIS KUCINICH
-- 8:00 pm ET: Attends CNN/Congressional Black Caucus Institute Democratic Presidential Primary Debate, Myrtle Beach, SC
POLITICAL NEWS STORIES ON ABCNEWS.COM
ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Obama Goes for Laughs Instead of Jugular LINK
ABC News' Kate Snow Reports: Chelsea Clinton: Private Person, Public Campaign LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper and Katie Hinman Report: Huck's Army: Young, Eager and Evangelical LINK
ABC's Good Morning America Reports: Arkansas's 'Queen of Fun' Could Shake Up Washington LINK
ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Buzz Maker of the Week LINK
ABC News' Jan Simmonds Reports: Giuliani Return to 9/11 Imagery in New Ad LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: To Huckabee or Not to Huckabee LINK
ABC News' Raelyn Johnson Reports: Edwards Blames the Media for Burying His Message LINK
ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Michelle Obama Mispronounces Nevada LINK
ABC News' Kate Snow, Susan Kriskey and Eloise Harper Report: Clinton Reacts to Obama's Party of Ideas Comment in Vegas LINK
ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf, Jack Date and Theresa Cook Report: Capitol Police Arrest Man with Shotgun LINK
ABC News' Christine Byun Reports: Thompson: Huckabee Using 'Liberal Catchphrase' LINK
ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: Paul: Nevada Caucuses in Chaos, Should Be Postponed LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Media v. Pols LINK
ABC News' Lauren Effron Reports: New Film Shines Light on War-Time Medicine LINK
POLITICAL VIDEO ON ABCNEWS.COM
Southern Fried Political Dirty Tricks:Mud flies and tempers flare as presidential candidates seek out a lead LINK
The Race for South CarolinaAccording to polls, McCain and Huckabee enter Saturday's primary virtually tied. LINK
Huck's Army: Young, Energized and EvangelicalHuckabee's approach to Christian politics rallies evangelical youth. LINK
Wielding a Shotgun at the Capitol:A man was arrested for carrying a shotgun near the U.S. Capitol building LINK
Political Rock Stars:Politicians aren't facing the music, they're making it! LINK
Chelsea Clinton, the Campaigner:The daughter of a political power duo reaches out to voters. LINK
Meet Mrs. Huckabee:The wife of Republican Mike Huckabee enjoys hunting and ski-diving. LINK
Paulson on Bush's Economic PlanTreasury secretary discusses the president's economic stimulus package. LINK
Bush Attempts to Stimulate EconomyPresident Bush calls for a $139 billion in tax relief. LINK