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Rural Nevada creating a virtual presidential campaign trail

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Rural Nevada creating a virtual presidential campaign trail
News

News

Rural Nevada creating a virtual presidential campaign trail

2019-04-20 07:45 Last Updated At:07:50

Democrat Kimi Cole is tired of excuses from presidential candidates who say it's too expensive and time-consuming to visit areas of rural Nevada like her town of Minden, population 3,400.

To get there from Washington, D.C., however, would likely mean at least a seven-hour, multi-stop flight to Reno, followed by an hour's drive. It's a unique challenge for Nevada, which sits much farther west than the other two early voting states.

To overcome the logistical challenges and ensure those living in rural communities play a key role in vetting candidates, Cole told The Associated Press that she and other Nevada Democrats are setting up a series of virtual visits with the presidential campaigns.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., takes a selfie with a supporter following his speech to about 100 people on Friday, April 19, 2019, at the Douglas County Democratic headquarters in Minden, Nev. Booker became the first candidate running for president in 2020 to make a campaign stop in a rural part of the early caucus state. (AP PhotoScott Sonner)

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., takes a selfie with a supporter following his speech to about 100 people on Friday, April 19, 2019, at the Douglas County Democratic headquarters in Minden, Nev. Booker became the first candidate running for president in 2020 to make a campaign stop in a rural part of the early caucus state. (AP PhotoScott Sonner)

They hope to launch the first series of online video conferences with the 2020 contenders within a month. It could be a nationwide model as presidential candidates expand the traditional campaign map to seek support in places where Democrats have struggled, including rural America.

"You can drive 300 miles and 400 miles (480 to 640 kilometers) across the state and you may not get in front of very many people," said Cole, chairwoman of the Rural Nevada Democratic Caucus. "I understand all that, and I'm respectful of all that. But doggone it, we have modern technology."

Cole said she's working with other organizers to ensure their internet connections can handle the virtual visits. The cyber-campaigning could give presidential candidates a chance to reach thousands of scattered Nevada Democrats whose votes they need to court to gain an advantage in a crowded field.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., talks about his presidential campaign during a speech to about 100 people on Friday, April 19, 2019, at the Douglas County Democratic headquarters in Minden, Nev. Booker became the first candidate running for president in 2020 to make a campaign stop in a rural part of the early caucus state. (AP PhotoScott Sonner)

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., talks about his presidential campaign during a speech to about 100 people on Friday, April 19, 2019, at the Douglas County Democratic headquarters in Minden, Nev. Booker became the first candidate running for president in 2020 to make a campaign stop in a rural part of the early caucus state. (AP PhotoScott Sonner)

"I know so many people, especially out in rural counties, that feel like they're not being heard, that they're not being represented," Cole said. "This is a step to meet in the middle."

The videoconferences allow rural residents to ask about issues like natural resources, water rights and gun rights that may not get as much attention in Las Vegas or Reno.

Judy Zabolocky, chairwoman of the Lyon County Democrats who lives in the small community of Dayton, said many Democrats in her county might have to drive an hour or more to Reno if they want to see a candidate.

"In the past years, if they're really, really hot on a particular candidate, they will make an attempt to go see them. But most of them don't," she said.

Nevada, which votes third in the U.S. on a Democratic presidential nominee, is already farther away than the other early nominating states.

In South Carolina, where most areas can be reached within a few hours' drive, candidates have made a point to visit rural areas. Iowa is much more spread out, but almost all the Democratic presidential candidates have made a point of hitting rural areas before its first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Cole said organizers are aiming to set up simultaneous video conferences in eight to 10 far-flung locations across Nevada. One after the other, Democratic presidential candidates would hop on a video conference and speak with a couple hundred people gathered in libraries or other community centers hundreds of miles apart.

At least six candidates have expressed interest in participating, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, whose campaigns confirmed they have been in talks with Cole.

Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur seeking the presidential nomination, also has floated a novel technological approach to overcome limited time and resources. He told the Carroll Times Herald in Iowa last week that he's working to start campaigning virtually with a 3D hologram.

"Rural engagement via video conference strikes me as a great idea and something that candidates should do more of," said David Cohen, who served as Nevada director for Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008. "Primary candidates need the exposure and Nevadans need to kick the tires. But they've also go to get out there to meet folks in person."

Nevada Democrats allocate their delegates based on congressional districts, giving those living in sparsely populated areas a prominent voice.

In addition to facilitating the virtual visits, Cole is working to persuade campaigns to visit rural Nevada in person. Booker on Friday will become the first candidate to make that journey, stopping in Cole's town of Minden during a three-day swing through the state.

Cole said she hopes it will set a precedent for other 2020 Democratic candidates.

"We want to meet you, and we want to hear from you. Ignore us at your own risk," Cole said.

Associated Press writers Alexandra Jaffe in Des Moines, Iowa and Meg Kinnard in Charleston, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian court on Friday ordered the detention of the country’s farm minister in the latest high-profile corruption investigation, while Kyiv security officials assessed how they can recover lost battlefield momentum in the war against Russia.

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court ruled that Agriculture Minister Oleksandr Solskyi should be held in custody for 60 days, but he was released after paying bail of 75 million hryvnias ($1.77 million), a statement said.

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau suspects Solskyi headed an organized crime group that between 2017 and 2021 unlawfully obtained land worth 291 million hryvnias ($6.85 million) and attempted to obtain other land worth 190 million hryvnias ($4.47 million).

Ukraine is trying to root out corruption that has long dogged the country. A dragnet over the past two years has seen Ukraine’s defense minister, top prosecutor, intelligence chief and other senior officials lose their jobs.

That has caused embarrassment and unease as Ukraine receives tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid to help fight Russia’s army, and the European Union and NATO have demanded widespread anti-graft measures before Kyiv can realize its ambition of joining the blocs.

In Ukraine's capital, doctors and ambulance crews evacuated patients from a children’s hospital on Friday after a video circulated online saying Russia planned to attack it.

Parents hefting bags of clothes, toys and food carried toddlers and led young children from the Kyiv City Children’s Hospital No. 1 on the outskirts of the city. Medics helped them into a fleet of waiting ambulances to be transported to other facilities.

In the video, a security official from Russian ally Belarus alleged that military personnel were based in the hospital. Kyiv city authorities said that the claim was “a lie and provocation.”

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that civic authorities were awaiting an assessment from security services before deciding when it was safe to reopen the hospital.

“We cannot risk the lives of our children,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to hold online talks Friday with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which has been the key international organization coordinating the delivery of weapons and other aid to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said late Thursday that the meeting would discuss how to turn around Ukraine’s fortunes on the battlefield. The Kremlin’s forces have gained an edge over Kyiv’s army in recent months as Ukraine grappled with a shortage of ammunition and troops.

Russia, despite sustaining high losses, has been taking control of small settlements as part of its effort to drive deeper into eastern Ukraine after capturing the city of Avdiivka in February, the U.K. defense ministry said Friday.

It’s been slow going for the Kremlin’s troops in eastern Ukraine and is likely to stay that way, according to the Institute for the Study of War. However, the key hilltop town of Chasiv Yar is vulnerable to the Russian onslaught, which is using glide bombs — powerful Soviet-era weapons that were originally unguided but have been retrofitted with a navigational targeting system — that obliterate targets.

“Russian forces do pose a credible threat of seizing Chasiv Yar, although they may not be able to do so rapidly,” the Washington-based think tank said late Thursday.

It added that Russian commanders are likely seeking to advance as much as possible before the arrival in the coming weeks and months of new U.S. military aid, which was held up for six months by political differences in Congress.

While that U.S. help wasn’t forthcoming, Ukraine’s European partners didn’t pick up the slack, according to German’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which tracks Ukraine support.

“The European aid in recent months is nowhere near enough to fill the gap left by the lack of U.S. assistance, particularly in the area of ammunition and artillery shells,” it said in a report Thursday.

Ukraine is making a broad effort to take back the initiative in the war after more than two years of fighting. It plans to manufacture more of its own weapons in the future, and is clamping down on young people avoiding conscription, though it will take time to process and train any new recruits.

Jill Lawless contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukrainian young acting student Gleb Batonskiy plays piano in a public park in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Ukrainian young acting student Gleb Batonskiy plays piano in a public park in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

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