Adam RasmussenChannel 2 News
The political season is in full force across the Silver State.
With the Nevada GOP caucus just a few days away, all four Republican presidential candidates campaigned in Nevada Thursday.
Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul were all in Reno, while Newt Gingrich was in Las Vegas. All were in a scramble to gain supporters ahead of Saturday's caucus.
Mitt Romney held a rally at The Grove in south Reno. The former Massachusetts Governor blasted President Obama while covering all sorts of issues from health care to military spending. He says the President won't talk about or fix the current debt and political crisis we face.
"I take a very different course," Romney said. "I will not just slow the rate of growth of government programs. I'll get rid of some of them."
Romney says President Obama plans on cutting too much of the military and continues making promises to the American people that he can't keep.
"It was three years ago today that President Obama was on the Today Show," Romney said. "We said if he couldn't turn this economy around in three years, that we'd be looking at a one term proposition. Well, we're here to collect."
On Friday, Romney is hosting a business round table at Western Nevada Supply at 950 South Rock Boulevard in Sparks at 8am. Then, he'll go Elko for a 12:15pm event.
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum was also in Reno, and also talking about turning around our economy.
In front of roughly 250 supporters at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, Santorum talked about turning things around with more manufacturing. He told us coming to northern Nevada was important because of its strong Republican support.
"Every state is important," Santorum said. "Every state has an opportunity to pick up delegates, and to give people the opportunity to hear our message, and I think you've seen, we've got a great amount of enthusiasm here. They like the message and hopefully, more and more people will hear it."
Santorum knows Nevada has the highest unemployment and foreclosure rate in the country, but says he has the answers to fix those problems.
"Elect Rick Santorum," he said. "That's the best encouragement I can give you. This economy will turn around right away and people will have the opportunity to get jobs."
On Friday, Santorum is scheduled to be in several cities in Missouri, starting in Hannibal. Then, he will go to Fulton, Columbia and end the day in Lee's Summit.
Also making an appearance in the Biggest Little City is Texas Congressman Ron Paul. He held a rally at the Grand Sierra Resort with hundreds of supporters in attendance.
Paul, like the other candidates, talked about how much the growing debt is hurting the country. He says right now, we're in the middle of an economic crisis.
"This is the biggest and the worst," Paul said. "Because it is challenging the whole system of the last, many, many decades. I believe the fragility of our economy right now is much worse than what went on in the 1930's."
Paul touched home with many Nevadans with talks of eliminating the income tax. He says the only reason one's in place now is because of our Entitlement System and spending on wars.
"I would assume most people in this audience don't believe in the Entitlement System," Paul said. "And, they don't believe in perpetual war."
Friday, Ron Paul is hosting an event in Pahrump at noon and will be back in Las Vegas for events at 5:30 and 6:30pm.
The only candidate not in Reno was Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. He was busy campaigning in Las Vegas, including a visit to a manufacturing company. He said he is a true conservative and one that truly cares for the poor.
"Both Governor Romney and Barack Obama seem to believe a quote-'safety net' is all the poor need," Gingrich said. "I don't believe that. What the poor needs is a trampoline so they can spring up and quit being poor."
He said he would first tie unemployment benefits to a training program. So, everybody who signs up for unemployment goes to a business to learn how to do a job. Gingrich also took aim at the President, saying he hasn't done enough to jump start the economy.
"One of the major themes this Fall is going to be a campaign between a paycheck and job candidate Newt Gingrich and a food stamp and unemployment candidate Barack Obama."
Gingrich will continue his campaigning in Las Vegas Friday with a rally at 10:30am.
