PROVO - Dozens of Brigham Young University students boarded a bus and traveled to Las Vegas on Friday to stump for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
Approximately 50 students from the Provo campus, and more than 100 students statewide participated in the political trip, officials said. In Las Vegas, they will knock on doors and make phone calls in support of Sen. McCain. Nevada is a battleground state that is currently leaning toward Democratic candidate and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
Utah -- and especially Utah County -- is predominantly Republican. In fact, the state has not overwhelmingly supported a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
In Nevada, Obama leads in the latest polls by as many as 7 percentage points. However, analysts say McCain still has a chance to win there. Most of the Democratic support in the state comes from residents in the Las Vegas metro area.
Other battleground states in the Rocky Mountain West are Colorado, New Mexico and potentially Arizona -- McCain's home state. The latest polls in Arizona indicate that McCain has roughly a 5 point lead there.
If McCain loses Arizona, he will become the second presidential candidate in eight years to lose the support of his home state (
see story). Al Gore lost Tennessee in 2000, a win that would have given him the presidency over George W. Bush.
MORE:Story:
McCain's home state of Arizona may vote for Obama (Oct. 31 '08)
