Trump, Harris to Campaign in Las Vegas Area on Halloween as Close Election Spooks Many Voters

Posted on: October 29, 2024, 09:20h. 

Last updated on: October 29, 2024, 10:21h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

The two leading presidential candidates are scheduled to appear in the Las Vegas region on Halloween, just days before next Tuesday’s election.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are planning to show up in Clark County on Thursday.

Trump will appear at Lee’s Family Forum at 3:30 p.m. Harris will speak at an as yet undisclosed location in Las Vegas between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Maná, a Mexican pop band, will perform at her rally.

Having a band with roots in Mexico may be an attempt by her campaign to attract Latino voters to the rally.

In recent weeks, Trump was seen as improving his support among Latino voters nationwide. But that support could be impacted after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe this past weekend made an offensive joke about Puerto Rico during a rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Nevada’s Latino population is seen as key to winning the state’s six electoral votes for the presidential election. Hispanics and Latinos of any race are about 28.3% of Nevada’s population, according to 2020 Census results. Some 20% of Nevada’s registered voters are Latino.

Trump Woos Latinos

Trump was in North Las Vegas on October 12 when he appeared at a roundtable with Latino voters. Among the topics he focused on were inflation, illegal immigration, and illegal drugs.

It’s an honor to have you on my side,” Trump told the largely Latino group at the North Las Vegas rally.

Among those speaking at the October 12 pro-Trump event was Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanu.

Nicole Williams, a Las Vegas bartender and mother of seven children, recently told the BBC she’s “100% voting Trump.”

We haven’t been able to do the things we want to do,” she added. “I want a future for my kids.”

Last Thursday, Trump also appeared at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center. He spoke during a Unite For Change event, which was directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Asian Americans represent some 12% of Nevada’s voters.

US is Divided

On Sunday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, showed up at a Las Vegas Raiders-Kansas City Chiefs football watch party in Las Vegas.

This is gonna come down to five to seven states, and Nevada is being one of them,” Walz said during the Las Vegas event. “It’s gonna be close because our country is divided. But at the end of the day, it’s gonna be won by the people out there knocking on doors and talking to their neighbors.”

Among those knocking on doors in Las Vegas to convince voters to support Harris are representatives from the Culinary Union, which represents hospitality workers.

“It’s important that I’m out door-knocking and canvassing because Kamala, she supports a lot of the things that I’m faced with, that a lot of American people are faced with, like ending price gouging, supporting the right to make a decision for your own body, and the tips,” Morlaina Bruce, a Culinary Union member and guest room attendant at Circus Circus Hotel in Las Vegas, recently told the Guardian news outlet.

“I’m concerned about the hatred that Trump has put out there, the division, and the lies that he tells.”

An indication of how divided people are about the election was seen this week when Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R), announced he will activate the National Guard to help local police as they patrol on Election Day.

Last week’s polls show Trump and Harris are essentially tied among the voters questioned in Nevada when it comes to their preference between the two candidates. But Trump is the heavy betting front-runner to win next week.