Hillary Clinton's team wants to curb expectations about the Nevada caucuses
There are nervous rumblings in the Clinton camp about the upcoming Nevada caucuses on Feb. 20 — nervousness that some think the campaign might be intentionally stoking. "The question is whether their anxiety about the caucuses is real or carefully orchestrated to make sure that Clinton can claim a triumph even if she narrowly wins a state where she has enjoyed a huge polling lead for months," The Hill writes.
Indeed, with Sanders pulling strong support in both New Hampshire and Iowa, some wonder if Nevada — "Clinton country" — could be a tight competition, too.
"A month ago, who would have thought this would be such a competitive race? Nevada will either be a potential firewall or a potential tiebreaker," Sen. Harry Reid's senior strategist Rebecca Lambe told The New York Times.
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The demographics of Nevada are starkly different from Iowa and New Hampshire — two states with mainly white voters. In Nevada, approximately 20 percent of the Democratic voters are Hispanic, and 13 percent African-American. Clinton tends to hold a stronger appeal in minority communities.
"For reasons I don't understand, the Clinton campaign seems to be downplaying chances in Nevada. As far as I'm concerned, it's tailor-made for a Clinton victory," another of Reid's strategists, Jim Manley, said.
