Cortez Masto, Kihuen prep party supporters for upcoming caucus

By Kyle Roerink

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015 | 8:30 p.m.

With 100 days remaining until the state’s presidential caucuses, U.S. Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto had a message on Thursday for party activists:

“We need you to get out, knock on doors and register voters,” she said to a group of 30 volunteers who attended a Democrat caucus training in Las Vegas.

On Feb. 20, Democrat voters will huddle into rooms and choose delegates who will ultimately pick the party’s presidential candidate. In Nevada, political parties run the caucus and rely on their staff and volunteers to organize the event throughout the state.

The training is necessary because a caucus isn’t like walking into a voting booth and pulling a lever.

On caucus day, Democrats will host around 200 locations statewide for their voters to go and support a candidate. Participants will elect thousands of delegates to a county convention. The county convention will then cut the number and choose state delegates. At the party's state convention in May, delegates will then whittle the total number to 43 — the number who will participate in the party’s nominating national convention in July. Republicans will do the same but will host the county, state and national conventions on different days and award a total of 30 delegates.

Both parties will want to dovetail the caucuses into a larger mobilization effort for the primary and general election in 2016. With 100 days before the caucus, Democrats implored volunteers that their role will be significant for an overall party victory at the state and federal level.

"It all begins in February. It all begins tonight,” said Ruben Kihuen, a Democrat state senator and candidate for Congressional District 4.

Cortez Masto — a former attorney general running against GOP Rep. Joe Heck — told volunteers that Democrats won’t get re-elected without their help.

"With your help I will be the first female senator from the state of Nevada and the first Latina in the U.S. Senate,” she said. "It’s about time.”

Kihuen also took an opportunity to comment on his election against Cresent Hardy, R-Nev.

“Are you ready to send Cresent Hardy home,” he asked the crowd.