Betting on Healthcare

Las Vegas

Trying to push universal medical coverage to the top of the '08 agenda, the country's largest healthcare union, SEIU, summoned the candidates to a Sin City forum on the issue on March 24. And all of the Democratic contenders except Senator Joseph Biden showed up, not only to present their respective plans but also to court the crucial union vote.

The endorsement of organized labor, a powerful and growing force in Nevada politics, will be central to any Democratic candidate wishing to carry the state. With the January 19 Nevada primary coming second in the country--only five days after the kick-off Iowa caucuses--winning here could fuel momentum going into the mega-Super Tuesday of February 5, when Californians and as much as half the rest of the country will be voting.

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