Jeb Bush, Ben Carson share distinct narratives in Las Vegas

By Ana Ley, Conor Shine

Thursday, May 14, 2015 | 2 a.m.

In another sign of Las Vegas' growing importance in the 2016 presidential election, Republican hopefuls Jeb Bush and Ben Carson both stopped by the city Wednesday in a pair of overlapping events located less than five miles apart.

Their visits continue a long procession of presidential candidates who have visited the city in recent months, joining Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republicans Rand Paul and Marco Rubio.

Nevada is expected to be a swing state in the 2016 election, and it has increased influence because it's the first Western state in the nomination process, making it a popular campaign stop for would-be contenders.

Carson took the stage at the nonprofit Opportunity Village in the southwest valley around 7 p.m., followed minutes later by Bush, who was speaking at the Clark County GOP's Lincoln Day dinner event at the Orleans.

Although both are Republicans, they sport significantly different profiles, with Bush's political experience, connections and fundraising making him an early front-runner in the race. Carson faces longer odds due to his lack of political experience, but his medical background and personal story set him apart among Republican candidates.

Here are highlights from the appearances by Carson and Bush:

BEN CARSON AT OPPORTUNITY VILLAGE

Carson’s visit introduces him to the long list of presidential candidates making campaign stops in Las Vegas this spring, but the famed neurosurgeon and Tea Party hero doesn’t consider it a political maneuver.

“This is not a campaign event,” he said at a lightly attended press conference before his speech Wednesday night at the southwest campus of Opportunity Village, a local nonprofit that aims to help Southern Nevadans with disabilities. “I am always very interested in any community-driven philanthropic endeavor.”

Still, his visit to the charity fundraiser, where he talked about politics, faith and his rags-to-riches life story, came less than two weeks after announcing his presidential bid and had all the trappings of a campaign rally, including a sign language interpretation of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”

While introducing Carson, Linda Smith — the charity’s chief development officer — drew parallels between the fiscally conservative Republican and Opportunity Village, an organization largely sustained by private funding which she described as “debt-free, self-determined and self-sustaining.”

Carson, a charismatic, soft-spoken speaker known for his skill to captivate a room, drew laughter, cheers and murmurs during his hourlong speech, in which he delivered predictable right-wing positions on fiscal conservatism as well as his personal narrative about growing up poor in Tennessee, peppering in jokes from his childhood about throwing rocks at cars and finding cockroaches in cereal boxes.

The friendly crowd of about 300 was packed with supporters, like Esper Hickman, who says she became a fan of Carson’s after his famous 2013 address at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, when he criticized Obama with the president just two seats away. She showed up to Wednesday’s event carrying a pencil drawing of the candidate, for whom she plans to vote.

Carson, known for his hard-right views on religion, social issues and government spending, also drew some followers with even more conservative views than his own. Christian talk radio host Tim Berends slipped unnoticed into the event’s press conference to deliver biblical literature to Carson, asking the candidate to clarify his views on the origins of Jesus Christ.

Some just wanted to hear what Carson had to say, like Lex Howard, 27, who drove two hours from Utah with about 10 friends and family members.

“I think he seems like he doesn’t have a personal agenda,” Howard said. “I just wanted to come and understand who I want to vote for.”

JEB BUSH AT THE ORLEANS

Bush's speech at the Orleans was his second Nevada stop of the day, following an earlier appearance at a Reno community center.

While the Reno town hall event saw Bush fielding questions on the Iraq War and Yucca Mountain, he avoided those topics during his Las Vegas speech.

Instead, Bush focused on introducing himself to the crowd of about 280 people, following a similar script he used when he visited a Sun City Summerlin community center in March.

Over the course of half an hour, Bush talked about his family, his business background and his eight years as Florida's governor.

"I cut over 2,000 separate line items in the budget totaling $2.5 billion. We had an objective that personal income always had to grow faster than government income. We shrunk the state government workforce by 13,000," he said.

Bush included the caveat that he hasn't declared his candidacy yet, but that he's "excited about the possibility of running for president."

Still, he attempted to draw a stark contrast between himself and President Barack Obama, criticizing the president's economic and tax policies.

"In Washington, D.C., they overspend, they overregulate and they create massive uncertainty," Bush said. "The net result is we have less opportunity, more pessimism."

Bush also went after Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, linking her time as secretary of state to his criticisms of Obama's foreign policy in Russia, Syria and Libya.

"Don't let Hillary Clinton get away with saying 'Well, I would have have done it differently,'" Bush said. "She can't be doing the Heisman on the things that she doesn't think turned out so well ... she was a partner with Barack Obama."

Despite it not being an official campaign event, Bush ended his speech with a forward-looking message to the group of Republican activists who could be key supporters in 2016.

"If we do our job right, with a hopeful, optimistic message based on fixing the things that are broken, this will be the most extraordinary time to be alive as Americans," he said. "I hope you believe that and I hope you stay the course."