Press Releases

RNC Political Director Rick Wiley:

“As we move into the Nevada Caucuses tomorrow, I wanted to talk a little bit about what the state looks like for President Obama. We all know that Nevada was crucial to sending Obama to the White House four years ago, but in three years, the landscape has changed dramatically in the Silver State.

“You look at Nevada today, we have the highest unemployment rate in the country, nearly 82,000 jobs have been lost in the three years since Obama took office, and unfortunately for Nevadans, 60 straight months of the highest foreclosure rate in the country.

“To be fair, the economic problems didn’t start the day Obama took office of the presidency, but it is fair to remind voters that repeatedly Obama has put himself on the clock and promised relief and has gone so far as to say that if you’re not better off today than you were four years ago, then this is one term proposition. I think that Nostradamus-like prediction is going to come true as we get to November of this year.

“Nevada was one of the nine battleground states that Obama won in 2008 that President Bush won in 2004, which makes…Nevada very crucial to the president’s reelection campaign…Gallup reported this week that his presidential approval ratings by state are declining sharply, and Nevada is one of the highest in decline…

“So those are horrendous numbers for an incumbent trying to run for reelection in this economy…In Nevada specifically, he is trailing by 11 points in the Independent votes, 53% of Independents in Nevada…disapprove of his handling of his job…Almost more troubling for the president is nearly one in five, 17% of Democrats do not approve of his handling of his job. So, you have a problem with Independents and he has a problem with his base…

“For months now the Republicans have been gaining on the Democrats there. We’ve had an advantage of about 3,200 in the month of January, and we continue to make gains to catch the Democrats. They had a huge margin after the 2008 Democratic Caucus where they invoked some same day registration and we’ve narrowed that gap down to about 47,000 now…Republicans are getting very enthused about not only about voting against Obama, but voting and supporting our eventual nominee.

“If you look at what happened in 2010, we elected who was just a great rising star and a great governor, Brian Sandoval. Joe Heck won a very tight and contested race and has proven to be a great member of Congress, Dean Heller, your new United States Senator, and then Mark Amodei, a good friend of the RNC, former state chairman there…On Saturday, when the Republicans go to the caucuses, I think the momentum and the action to defeat this president will be on display…”

RNC Hispanic Outreach Director Bettina Inclán:

“With all eyes turning to Nevada, we find ourselves once again in a state where Latino voters will play a crucial role…Nevada has the fifth largest Latino population and one-fifth of those Latinos are eligible to vote.

“Latinos in Nevada are bearing the brunt of Obama’s failed economic policies and are ready to caucus tomorrow to take their first step toward making Barack Obama a one-term president.

“A majority of Latinos believe the economic downturn has hit them the hardest, more than any other group…it is especially true for Latinos in Nevada. They are facing an unemployment rate of 18.6 percent in the state and 10.5 percent nationally and they are ready to change the direction in Washington.

“While today’s jobs report brings welcome news of lower unemployment, still too many Americans are out of work. The nation’s economic rate is unexpectedly low…especially for families across this country who are still struggling…Latinos in Nevada have been significantly more affected by our economy with an unemployment rate that is so high.

“We are anxious to take these first steps in the Latino community in Nevada, and continue to work together to make sure we send a leader who will focus on creating jobs, rather than saving his own.”

Click Here To Listen To The Full Audio: http://www.gop.com/audio/2.3.2012_Nevada.mp3  

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