Bernie Sanders campaign ramping up efforts in Nevada

By Kyle Roerink

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015 | 1:58 p.m.

In an attempt to gain ground on Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is making a push to attract Latino voters in Nevada.

His campaign will begin airing a Spanish-language radio ad this week in Las Vegas and Reno telling the story of his immigrant father and outlining his platforms on immigration, income inequality and health care.

The campaign also announced today it plans to open more than seven offices statewide and hire 25 to 100 full-time workers. It will punctuate the grassroots efforts with a rally Sunday at a soccer field in North Las Vegas and an event Monday with the Fair Immigration Reform Movement.

The Sanders campaign has signaled Latino votes are a must-win to upset Clinton in the early nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

Sanders, the Vermont senator and self-described Democratic socialist, was largely unknown on the national stage when he announced his presidential run in April.

Since then, his campaign has collected millions of dollars in small donations and drawn large crowds to rallies across the country.

The Sanders campaign made its initial launch last month in Nevada — five months after Clinton’s team set foot in a state where she already had establishment and grassroots support. When Sanders’ national team arrived, it found a group of supporters had already built a grassroots framework.

“We are well supplied with a large and energetic volunteer base,” said Jim Farrell, the campaign’s Nevada director. “There is a movement going on.”