Nevada Democrats will have more of a say in who receives their party's 2008 presidential nod with their caucuses bumped up to Jan. 19, just after Iowa and before New Hampshire.

The Democratic National Committee handed Nevada the plum spot on the calendar because the state is more reflective of America, said Kirsten Searer, communications director at the Nevada Democratic Party.

Nevada's population is 30 percent minority, and 14 percent of households have some sort of union membership, she said.

Nevada Democratic Party Chairman Tom Collins pointed to the state's top three industries of tourism, mining and agriculture to underscore its diversity.

In Nevada's Clark County, one of the fastest growing communities in the nation, "You can go from the largest private investment in the world, the MGM CityCenter, and 10 miles away is the largest hog farm in the state," said Collins.

Collins also stressed the growing importance of Democrats competing in the western part of the country, following up on key 2006 congressional elections that saw them win swing seats in Colorado and Montana.

"Democrats cannot win the White House without winning in the West," he said.

The inclusion of a western state early in the game will encourage candidates to address issues that are important to westerners, such as land use, water rights and immigration, Searer said.

Already, Democratic presidential hopefuls have made a beeline to the state, holding rallies in Las Vegas and hiring staff to handle their campaigns there.

Other states are looking to move up their primaries or caucuses in order to increase their political clout. More than a dozen states have slated their contests for Feb. 5, the earliest they can under national party rules. Nevada's GOP primary is slated for Feb. 5 as well.

An unintended consequence of early primaries -- and settling on a nominee far in advance of the November 2008 elections -- is the public may lose interest in the presidential race, said John Sides, assistant professor of political science at George Washington University.

"Some say a better system would be to have primaries scheduled late and a shorter election campaign to ensure people's attention is focused on politics and the race," he said.

A compressed nomination process also may pose a challenge to some candidates -- those with fewer financial resources may find themselves at a disadvantage to their higher-profile and well-heeled counterparts.

"If you're the underdog, you have to do that much more in a short period of time," Sides said.

But according to Searer, Nevada's style of "retail politics," with candidates having to rely more on on-the-ground campaigning, rather than glossy television ads, levels the playing field.

And as of March 2007, no candidate had taken a clear lead in the state. "It's wide open," she said.

Despite the party's political strategizing, no formula exists -- or proven order of primaries and caucuses -- that guarantees a White House win, said Sides.

So the placement of a western state near the head of the line, he said, may be more of a symbolic way to acknowledge a particular area of the country more than anything else.

-- By Larisa Epatko, Online NewsHour