Tucked in the mountains of northern New Mexico, the small town of Las Vegas is part of the state’s Hispanic heartland and one of towns across the country where voter turnout may prove crucial to the outcome of the presidential race.

With a population around 14,000, the city, which locals are quick to point out is the “original” Las Vegas, enjoyed a boom time in the railroad era of the 1880s. Today, much of the town’s economy is tied to government work and it boasts a largely Hispanic population.

Although much of northern New Mexico is predominantly Democratic — more than 70 percent of voters in San Miguel County, where Las Vegas is located, are registered Democratic — parts of the region once enjoyed a strong Republican base. In the 1930s, after the New Deal, sentiments shifted toward Democratic leaders, leaving a less mobilized GOP minority.

True to its reputation as a battleground state, Sen. John Kerry lost New Mexico to President Bush in 2004 by a mere 6,000 votes. Al Gore won the state in 2000 by a few hundred votes. With this in mind, both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain have made personal appeals to voters in the state and Obama is taking no chances on ensuring voters turnout in Democratic areas.

The campaign has opened more than 30 offices in the state, including in Las Vegas, and Obama himself visited the nearby northern town of Espanola in late September, issuing a blunt call to Hispanic voters to go to the polls. “I’m not taking a single Hispanic vote for granted in this campaign,” he said.

Obama has also sought to woo deeply loyal supporters of former presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton. Former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Clinton are popular among Hispanic voters in New Mexico and Mrs. Clinton won the Democratic primary in New Mexico by a narrow margin.

When it comes to choosing a president, residents of Las Vegas say their issues generally aren’t any different from the concerns held by voters around the country.

San Miguel County Democratic Chairman Martin Suazo is confident that the area will reach its turnout goals - 70 percent turnout and 70 percent Democratic - but says an in person visit to the town, particularly from the Clintons, would help shore up full support.

Republicans in the area, meanwhile, continue to work to keep a viable presence. San Miguel County Republican Vice-Chairman Carlos Lopez Sr. explains some of the difficulties involved in fielding GOP candidates in the area and the issues important to GOP voters.

Videographer Kate Nash, a reporter for the Santa Fe New Mexican, contributed to this report. Read her blog on New Mexico politics, Green Chile Chatter.