Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

EDITORIAL:

Let’s act responsibly when the caucuses come to town

We’re about to find out how much Nevadans care about who should move into the White House next year.

In a series of caucuses that can loosely be likened to miniature town-hall meetings, Democrats on Feb. 20 and Republicans on Feb. 23 will gather in Nevada to line up, literally, on the side of their favorite candidates. There will be remarks on behalf of the candidates, walking about as voters find where in the room to stand for their candidate of choice, and probably resigned shuffling as some voters realize their candidate doesn’t have much support. In that case, some of those people likely will stand for another candidate with better chances.

This pruning process is far from the secret vote that will come in November’s general presidential election, but it will show who we think is qualified to run the country.

And Nevada’s political judgment will influence how the national campaign season plays out. The Las Vegas metropolitan area will be the most populated area to weigh in so far, providing the first urban voice to a parade of primary elections and caucuses. We are, as we’ve been reminded over and over, the first state in the West — with its own range of issues — to play a role in the primary season. And much attention is being paid to Nevada’s racial diversity, particularly the increasing number of Latino voters, who have lots of reasons to be engaged in this election.

We’ve long been acknowledged as a swing state — purple on those election-night maps. But first, Nevada can help decide who gets to the finals. That’s where the caucuses come in. They’re not as easy to participate in as voting in November.

For the caucuses, voters must show up at a particular place at a particular time and be ready to stand up publicly for their candidate. It can be off-putting, if not intimidating. At the least, caucus attendance will indicate how well the candidates have organized their campaigns in Nevada. Ours is a state where campaigns either will gain momentum after a good showing or further stagnate — if not collapse — after the caucus results are posted.

Indeed, the Republican field may thin itself even before the Nevada caucuses, depending on how the GOP primaries play out in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The question is whether Nevada Republicans will join the chorus of angry people and further embolden candidates whose idea of leadership is a platform of divisive insults, bellicose chest thumping and demagoguery, or support those candidates who would rather focus on issues and solutions. Republicans in Nevada have the power to further winnow and shape the field — the very reason Nevada asked to be one of the first primaries in the nation — so that campaigns can reduce the shouting over each other and engage in what voters deserve: sober policy discussions.

For Democrats, it’s a simpler decision among three candidates who have engaged in spirited debate with less rancor and nastiness. The issues that separate the Democratic candidates are aired responsibly and civilly, as opposed to the belligerent rhetoric among Republican candidates that seems more fitting for bullies in a playground brawl.

Our caucuses are the democratic process made visible. All eyes will be on Nevada for a few days, as we influence the nation’s future. We hope everyone participating will represent our state passionately, intelligently and reasonably.

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