the second place finisher, the portland press herald's camera caught this victory snuggle. these wife carriers sure know how to carry on. jeanne moos, cnn. >> you can see the love with theses competitors out here. they're so excited. >> reporter: new york. >> wife? i'm don lemon, cnn headquarters in atlanta. see you back here at 10:00 p.m. eastern. "latino in america: courting their vote" starts right now. just weeks until the election, and it's a dead heat in the race for the white house. millions of latino voters could make all the difference. >> the hispanic vote is going to be critically important in this election. >> with battleground states hanging in the balance, outreach is ramping up. >> unprecedented money in

nevada, colorado, virginia, florida. >> in nevada, both parties pull out all the stops to woo latinos and their leaders. >> i think they had much big irintereier interest in this vote. >> neither party understands what is needed for the hispanics. >> neither party. >> neither party. >> so who will win them over? "latino in america: courting their vote." las vegas, nevada. one of the gambling capitals of the world. beyond the glitz and glamour, in

the shadow of high roll rers and high-stakes gambling is high-stakes politics. this is the las vegas you rarely see. nevada is home to one of the fastest-growing latino populations in the country. more than a quarter of the state's population is now hispanic. in 2008, those latino voters helped turn this historically republican state democratic. yet again, all eyes are on this crucial swing state and its six electoral votes. >> the goal is to get as much support as we can from the hispanic community. >> hector bareto is one of the people in charge of latino outreach for republican presidential nominee, mitt romney. do you think latinos are going to determine who is the next president? >> they could.

obviously it's a growing electorate and it's going to continue to grow in the elections to come. so i don't think either party can take that vote for granted. >> democrats are fighting to hold on to nevada, with political heavy hitters like senate majority leader harry reid courting the latino community. it's a huge opportunity. nearly 300,000 nevada voters are latino. >> all over the country, but no 0 more magnified any place than in nevada, is the hispanic vote. >> republicans want the state back. in seven out of the last ten elections, nevada voted republican. >> we understando win you

don't -- tough win the hispanic vote we have to be engaged. >> welcome to las vegas tonight. the presidential candidates come here to win the west. >> reporter: in october 2011, the republican presidential candidates rolled into town with their money and their message. >> herman cain, let me start with you would you build an entire fence around the entire border around would you have it be electrified? >> i will build a double-walled fence. >> reporter: there's tough talk on immigration. >> you have enough border patrol agents to oversee the fence and number two you turn off the magnets like tuition breaks or other breaks that draw people into this country illegally. >> we have a question in the audience. >> reporter: in the audience is las vegas businessman robert zavala, a republican voter anxious to ask the question on the minds of many latino voters. we have 50 million latinos and not all of us are illegal. what is the message from you guys to our latino community? >> is it a tough thing to be republican and latino here? >> yes, it is. >> how so? >> i have to all the time defend the party, say, look, that's not all of us. our community is not only about immigration. the latino community is like any other community. they want jobs. they want a better education for their kids. >> what is the message that we take to the grassroots? >> reporter: hours after the gop

debate, in a different session, zavala is still pressing his own party's leaders for answers. >> you have nothing but latino leaders in here, but we don't know how to reach them out there. the democrats are kidding our behind. >> we need you out here, talking us to, to the latinos. >> reporter: republican cecelia aldana shares zavalo's dissatisfaction. >> the republican leadership has to send a message to our community. >> what's your frustration with the republican party? >> they don't see what hispanics go through every day and how is it the other parties are taking advantage of that. they don't see it as a problem. >> so you don't think the republicans are fighting for your vote. >> exactly. >> reporter: but cecilia is fighting for their votes and is push the gop leadership to join her and their message to the latino community. >> i have never seen them trying to to be out there and express their voices, you know? i'm not afraid to tell people what i stand for so i want them

to be out there trying to teach and educate the population. i have a gorgeous view of the sunrise. it gives me the energy i need every day. >> reporter: cecilia moved from peru to the united states 30 years ago to pursue her american dream. >> it was hard for me in the beginning so i made a decision, i said, i need to feed my children. i don't care. i'm going to work as a housekeeper. >> reporter: she rose from being a housekeeper to a bank teller to running a lucrative chain of medical clinics. >> we are at the clinic. this is the main location. i'm going to park exactly. >> reporter: cecilia spotted an opportunity to cater to latinos. >> hi, doctor. >> cecilia. >> how are you? >> good. >> reporter: cecilia ran nine clinics, had 130 employees. the recession led her to shut down some clinic and lay off 60 workers. >> the bad economy has delivered

blow after blow, jobs disappear, savings drying up, homes losing value, and now there's a new class of working poor, families who once enjoyed six-figure incomes now lose their homes. >> that's me. if i didn't make the changes i had to make, you know, with the company, we close five clinics, it was really painful. but we did it. and finally we're almost debt free and we are back to hiring again. >> reporter: at the core of cecelia's success, she says her conservative believes and values. >> i'm a conservative woman so i believe in personal responsibility, i believe in the american dream. i came to this country to work hard. i don't want government telling me what to do. >> 2804. >> reporter: state senator ruben kihuen also believes in the american dream. >> patricia, how are you? my name is ruben kihuen. >> reporter: he, too, is fighting for the latino vote but for the democrats.

>> what are your issues right now? what are you most concerned about right now, economy, jobs, health care? >> the economy, foreclosures on the houses? >> foreclosures? >> yeah. >> reporter: today, nevada is suffering through high levels of foreclosures, 12% unemployment, with the latino community especially hard-hit. a recent cnn/orc poll shows three-quarters of latinos are more concerned about the economy than immigration policy. >> since most of these people work in the casino industry and the tourism industry, if the casino and the tourism industry is not making money, they lay people off. so these are the first line of workers who get laid off when times are hard. so when these people get laid off, they can't pay their bills. when they can't pay their bills, they lose their home. so we have a lot of work to do. >> reporter: these are problems plaguing latinos across the country, problems latinos look to their politicians to solve. but is either party really listening?

>> how you doing, sir? >> reporter: ahead -- >> ruben kihuen, running for u.s. congress. >> reporter: -- ruben's quest to become nevada's first ever latino congressman. >> i'm ruben kihuen, running for u.s. congress here in las vegas. hopefully i can earn your support. fight back fast with tums smoothies. so fast and smooth, you'll forget you had heartburn. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums [ male announcer ] tums smoothies. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums when you take a closer look... ...at the best schools in the world... ...you see they all have something very interesting in common. they have teachers... ...with a deeper knowledge of their subjects. as a result, their students achieve at a higher level. let's develop more stars in education.

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♪ hi, how are you? >> good. >> good. ruben kihuen. here is my card. hopefully i can count on your support. how are you? who is this good-looking gentleman here? >> reporter: congressional candidate ruben kihuen knows how to work a room. >> ladies, good luck. >> reporter: talking to some of the most powerful latino leaders in nevada. >> mr. governor. >> reporter: like republican brian sandoval, the state's first latino governor. >> nice to see you. >> how are you doing? >> good. i'm telling people, look, i'm not the most famous candidate, i'm not the one with the most money, i'm one with the biggest heart and the most money.

>> just keep working. >> good to see you here. >> good luck. >> i count on your support! >> reporter: ruben has more than luck on his side, he has democratic senator harry reid as his mentor. >> nevada senator harry reid! >> reporter: reid gave ruben his start in politics, handling events in the latino community. >> a lot of community leaders here start saying, wow, this guy ruben, you know, he is doing a good job for senator reid, maybe he can run for office some day. >> reporter: and that's exactly what ruben did, winning a seat in the nevada state assembly when he was just 26. >> one, two, three. >> reporter: now at 31 -- >> hi, how are you? >> reporter: -- he has a much loftier goal. >> ruben kihuen, running for u.s. congress. >> reporter: the state's latino population has skyrocketed, up 87%, 700,000 latinos the last decade. >> how are you? you look warm. >> reporter: redistricting resulted in one district becoming heavily hispanic. [ speaking spanish ] >> constituents that i had been representing the past years were calling and saying, ruben, you should run. so i met with a lot of people for many weeks, went out to washington, d.c. i met with senator reid.

>> did he encourage you to run? >> senator reid is the type of person, if he doesn't want you to runs, he will tell you directly, you should not run. the fact he didn't discourage me from running meant, to me, that this was an opportunity for me to run. thank you so much. are you guys ready to go out door to door? >> reporter: so ruben launched a grassroots campaign. [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: sharing his experience as a latino immigrant who achieved his own american dream, after emigrating from america c mexico with his family when he was 6. will >> this is where my family and i first lid when we were here in las vegas. when you get here with nothing and you get to live in a house with four bedrooms in front of a park, my father had a car. we had a home. he had a job. that is the american dream. i understand the issues of the people in this area.

tough lived through the same experiences they have lived. my family has lost a home, you know, to foreclosure. you know, i have parents who have been unemployed, both of it them. we've been in situations where we didn't know where our next paycheck was going to come from or how we were going to put food at the table that night. >> reporter: through hard work, ruben says, all of his family members have realized their american dream. but others in the latino community are struggling. >> we want these people who live in these homes to have an opportunity to move up if they want to. and right now they're losing hope because those opportunities not there. >> reporter: ruben is running in a district with 500,000 latinos, the largest latino population in the state. >> i need your help. >> reporter: he says electing him to congress would give latinos a vote. >> hi, everybody! >> reporter: and democratic leaders hope ruben's candidacy would bring more latinos out to the polls. but in the fall of 2011,

candidate kihuen found out he has competition in the democratic primary, congresswoman dina titus. >> thank you for being here. >> reporter: titus is an extremely experienced and well-financed politician. ruben is young and fresh and culturally connected. >> i might not raise as much money as her, but i have hundreds of volunteers ready to go knock on doors, those young voters willing to make phone calls for you. >> to hear about ruben, see his face. >> reporter: more than 60,000 la teen foes turn 18 every month across the country. and some democratic leaders believe ruben could be the right man to connect to them. debbie rios is the president of the hispanic student union at rancho high school, ruben's alma matter. >> if you go and you have a ruben shirt, please wear it. >> reporter: debbie's passion goes beyond politics. it's also personal. her brother and many of her friends are in this country illegally.

the d.r.e.a.m. act could have protected them from deportation. it went down to defeat by the senate in 2010. >> having friends who are so close who had that chance to being able to have some kind of legal status here and then knowing that it wasn't possible, it was very heartbreaking. [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: political radio host and registered democrat miggette p miguel is disappointed with his party. >> 70% of the latino population went with barack obama to get him elected. when than happens, everybody is fired up, students are happy, we're going to get the d.r.e.a.m. act, everybody is talking about immigration reforms coming in. and then the first 100 days go by and, oh, well, nada. >> reporter: president obama has upset latinos by deporting more undocumented immigrants than any other administration in u.s. history.

to debbie rios and other latinos, part of the solution is more hispanic leaders in washington, d.c., like ruben kihuen. >> you know, i don't have as much money as my opponent so i've got to -- >> the thing is, you got all the hispanics behind you. >> well, you know, that's what i'm hoping for. >> reporter: ruben's trying to build the momentum and the base he needs to win, even appearing on republican businesswoman cecilia aldana's new tv show. even though rubin is a democrat, her support for latinos crosses party lines. will [ speaking spanish ] >> he impressed me today. absolutely impressed me today. 43% is hispanics. he should be the one representing that district. >> reporter: it seems ruben has support of his community. >> ruben kihuen. hi, how are you?

>> reporter: and powerful democratic leaders, but is it enough to make him nevada's first latino congressman? >> i do feel that is what it is, a new approach. [ laughing ] [ laughing ] [ laughing ] ♪ a short word that's a tall order. up your game. up the ante. and if you stumble, you get back up. up isn't easy, and we ought to know. we're in the business of up. everyday delta flies a quarter of million people while investing billions improving everything from booking to baggage claim. we're raising the bar on flying

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and cecilia aldana's favorite time of year. >> okay. feliz knave navidad! i collected, between the purchase and the donations, 5,500 toys. >> reporter: every year, cecilia helps sponsor a toy and food drive for nevada's neediest. >> this is a reality. this is exactly what happens in las vegas. >> reporter: the unemployment rate for latinos in nevada is 15.2%. it doubled after the recession of 2008 when the construction industry collapsed. >> what really makes me extremely sad is no politician understands what happens every day in our lives. >> reporter: even republican party leaders admit they need to do more. >> i think in a lot of cases we have some work to do. >> reporter: sean spicer is with the republican national committee.

>> i think if you looked at it on paper, we should be the home for every latino. hands down. no question. unfortunately, i think we haven't always done the best job of reaching out to them and talking to them about it. >> reporter: lack of outreach led latinos to form their own opinions, based on republicans' tough stance on immigration. in fact, a recent cnn/orc poll shows 70% of latinos believe that democrats care more about them, while only 24% say republicans care more. what do you think most hispanics in nevada think of the republican party? >> they immediately go and say, we don't trust republicans because they're all evil. you know, they are no good people. >> that's what hispanics here say? >> why, soledad? why do they say that? it's because they hear that on the news every day. and i'm a republican. i'm a conservative republican. i'm out there working hard, making sure i create jobs for more people. >> reporter: cecilia feels she's

doing her part but the republican party itself is struggling. [ speaking spanish ] >> why is the economy weak? >> reporter: while nevada's republican party is supporting ron paul, the national republican party is unifying behind mitt romney. >> we are having a rally for mitt romney. >> reporter: to people like cecilia, it seems there is no clear party direction. no easy way to be involved. until mitt romney comes to town. >> i'm talking to some of the romney people to see what i can do to help them to recruit hispanics. >> reporter: at last, cecilia feels engaged by her party. >> we've seen record numbers of foreclosures. i don't have to tell you that. we need new leadership in washington. >> it totally inspires me, you know, gives me hope for the future. so i can't wait for him to become president. >> reporter: republican or

democrat, nevada's latino community shares the same hope for its future, sending one of their own to congress. for democrats, that would be state senator ruben kihuen. january 24, 2012, washington, d.c. >> you know, i get the chills every time i walk by this building. >> reporter: congressional candidate kihuen has traveled across the country as a guest of his mentor, senator harry reid. he's attending the state of the union address. >> this is maybe a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. god willing, we win this election in june and in november, and next year i will be serving in this body as a member of congress, listening to that speech. >> reporter: while in washington, ruben makes a point to meet with key latino congressmen. >> i'm walking into the building right now. >> reporter: of the five 530 members currently in congress, 28 are latino, 8 republicans, 20

democrats. >> i'm doing well. waiting to meet with congressman basserra. >> reporter: like charlie gonzalez from the hispanic caucus. >> a few more offices. >> reporter: and congressman becerra from california. >> are you going to be watching the state of the union? >> yes, actually as a guest of senator reid. >> reporter: with each meeting, ruben's confidence builds. >> he'll be here in about a year. >> i'm working hard. >> mr. speaker, the president of the united states! >> reporter: that night, the state of the union. what was it like? >> when you're invited to sit there and be among the 600 most powerful people in the world, possibly, you know, including the president of the united states of america, and you get

to witness this event in person, it's life changing. >> reporter: then, the next morning, an important meeting. senator harry reid, ruben's mentor and a kingmaker in congress. so for the folks in washington, d.c., how important was it that you were a latino in a district that was heavily latino, 40-odd percent, and that you were an immigrant? >> nevada is a battleground state. it's a purple state. it's gone democrat, it's gone republican. >> they wanted latino votes? >> they wanted latinos to vote. they know by having a latino on the general election ballot it would increase their turnout. they had their own vested interest in this. >> it seemed to me that you had a ton of momentum, both in d.c. and with your constituents. >> there was a picture that came out in the "las vegas sun" where senator reid had his arm around

me. so a lot of people were saying, we know who senator reid is supporting. >> reporter: ruben's trip to washington left him riding high. but back in nevada, his competitor dina titus, was beating him in every poll. there must have been people in your campaign saying, ruben, we're in trouble. t. eveverery y titimeme o of f. ououtdtdoooorsrs, , oro. trtranansisititiononss® ls auautotomamatiticacalllly y fift ththe e ririghght t amamouountn. soso y youou s seeee e eveg ththe e waway y itit is memeanant t toto b be e ses. mamaybybe e evevenen a lilittttlele b betette. exexpeperirienencece l lifife e, asask k fofor r trtrananss adadapaptitiveve l lene. have led to an increase intands clinical depression. drug and alcohol abuse is up.

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of. >> i'm don lemon. let's get a look at your

headlines. what a sight. that's the space shuttle "endeavour" getting the superstar treatment on its way to its permanent display at the science center. thousands welcoming and cheering and shouting. will we'll carry it live at 10:00. the cdc reports more than a dozen new cases of fungal meningitis and another death. over 198 cases confirmed across 13 states. the outbreak is linked to contaminated steroid injections used to relieve back and neck pain. 14,000 people may have gotten tainted jections. former television host and actor gary collins died today in biloxi, mississippi xgs he was known for starring in tv roles and long-time host of "hour magazine" and a former master of ceremonies for the miss america pagea

pageant. gary collins, dead of natural causes at 74. i'm don lemon at the cnn headquarters in atlanta. cnn, your most trusted news. i'm ruben kihuen, i'm running for united states congress. >> okay. >> thank you, my friend. >> reporter: ruben kihuen, energetic, enthused, and emboldened by his trip to washington, d.c. is back in las vegas. >> i love you, ruben. >> reporter: continuing his campaign to become nevada's first latino congressman. but the polls are telling a different story. there must have been people in your campaign crunching those numbers and saying, ruben, we're in trouble. >> we were not focused on what that poll or any of those polls were saying because i was confident that by the time election day came around, they knew who ruben kihuen was and what he planned on doing for them. >> reporter: then, on february 7, 2012, just two weeks after ruben's d.c. trip, a surprising turn. kihuen releases this statement

and withdraws from the race. >> here at home, state senator ruben kihuen has dropped out of the race. >> reporter: rancho high school is the home base for ruben's volunteer youth support. both students and teachers struggle with the news. >> it's so shocking because just this saturday we were out canvassing for him and his campaign manager was there and, you know, the field director was there and how could this have happened? >> the only time i think i've been -- i think i was sad or maybe effected is when i found out the d.r.e.a.m. act had not passed. >> reporter: students hoped to hear from ruben personally. will instead his sister -- >> maryanna kihuen. >> reporter: -- faces their disappointment. >> it was you guys that really

made his campaign last five, six months that it did. >> all the indications was ruben is our candidate, he will go to congress. >> reporter: miguel barrentos, a producer and radio host in las vegas. >> ruben would have kept the party strong, latinos more on the democratic ticket. but after athat, i think it's going to reflect on how people are going to get elected here in southern nevada. . >> reporter: a week passes, and still a once highly visible ruben kihuen has still not made a public appearance. speculation builds about his withdrawal from the race. [ speaking spanish ] until ruben appears on miguel's spanish radio show to face those that believed in him. [ speaking spanish ] >> the reality is some people don't understand it but the reality is we didn't have the money. >> okay, ruben, if the issue is money -- >> reporter: miguel doesn't buy it. >> -- harry reid able to raise $30 million for his senate race, i'm sure with a couple phone

calls he would have raised $1 million for ruben kihuen if he really wanted to help the latino community. >> because i knew once -- >> reporter: regardless of the reasons, ruben struggles with his decision to drop out. >> again, it was tough. don't get me wrong. >> how tough? >> for me, i couldn't sleep the day before, i wasn't sure if we stay in the race or not. we had the volunteers, we had the people support, we had the community behind my campaign. >>ut? >> we hacommunity leaders. >> but? >> but this was going to have a negative impact ultimately for president obama's campaign here in nevada because i know that worse case scenario, had i lost that primary, those voters who were nontraditional voters, who were excited to see my candidacy, were going to be discouraged to go out there and support anyone in the general election. >> reporter: rainen says with the weight of reelecting president obama on his shoulders and the dreams of his community on his back, he took one for the team. his party. not his people. will are some latinos mad about

that, you know, that the person who has to take one for the team is the young, up-and-coming latino, who can bring out the latino vote, which, by the way, is big in this state. but when push came to shove, it's not going to be you this time? >> you know, i'm -- i don't know. i mean, i've heard of a lot of, you know, mixed messages. some people did call me and some were disappointed with the democratic party, that they should have come out and supporting me publicly, if they're concerned about getting latinos out to vote, they should have supported the latino candidate. >> reporter: senator reid's office says the decision to drop out of the race was kihuen's. from ruben's balcony the strip offers a constant reminder of why he got into the race in the first place. >> if you look at that big green hotel over there, that's where my mom works.

and, as we speak, that's where she's working. she's a housekeeper at the mgm grand. part of the reason why i was doing this was because of my mom and because of my father. and so when i look out there, i think about my mom that's working right now, her dream of seeing me serving in congress is going to have to be put on hold. but i'm still committed to it as ever. it just didn't happen in 2012. >> reporter: republican cecilia aldana still has high hopes for 2012. inspired after working at the republican caucus supporting front-runner mitt romney, cecilia sets her sights on becoming a delegate to the national convention. is that going to happen? >> no, it didn't happen. i don't know how exactly that works, but i was not one of the names on the list. i don't know what the process is, but my name wasn't there so i guess it broke my heart. >> reporter: with nevada's republican party in disarray,

splintered between ron paul and mitt romney supporters and no clear strategy, cecilia is left with a challenge. >> you are a nevada hispanic. >> reporter: how to win over the latino vote for republicans on her own. and with ruben out of the race, have democrats jeopardized getting the latino vote in nevada? campbell's chunky soup. mom? who's mom? i'm the giants mascot. the giants don't have a mascot! ohhh! eat up! new jammin jerk chicken soup has tasty pieces of chicken with rice and beans. hmmm. for giant hunger! thanks m! see ya! whoaa...oops! mom? i'm ok. grandma? hi sweetie! she operates the head. [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. a short word that's a tall order. up your game. up the ante. and if you stumble, you get back up.

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>> reporter: this is a big day for debbie rios. today she's graduating from rancho high school. she'll start college in the fall. >> debbie lorraine rios. >> reporter: something her undocumented older brother could not do. debbie rios is becoming an adult in a school district where the population is booming. nearly 50% of kindergartners are latino. though latinos are the largest minority group in the country, they're politically underrepresented nationwide. here in nevada, democrat ruben kihuen abandoned his bid to become the state's first latino

congressman. >> hello, rancho high school! >> reporter: but urges the rancho graduates to keep on fighting. >> we must remember the road to success leads through hard work, patience, persistence and perseverance. >> reporter: ruben is continuing to engage voters. >> yes, i am seeing it from the president's campaign and the local candidates understand the importance of the latino vote and make it to events. you need to invest in latino votes in order to get latinos to come out and vote. >> you feel like democrats are investing? >> they are investing. >> regardless of what happened with you? >> yes. yes. >> reporter: but many latinos are disappointed with the democrats. after president obama failed to

bring on the reform he promised, after the 2010 defeat of the d.r.e.a.m. act, many latinos resent the lack of support for leaders like ruben. >> i think the leadership is seeking the latino vote, but the way we saw it with the ruben kihuen issue is they are not ready to give us the political power. i think it is a missed opportunity for the democrat leadership. >> reporter: five months before the election, president obama independently makes a decision that changes the game. >> effective immediately, the department of homeland security is taking steps to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people. >> reporter: the president's executive decision temporarily allows undocumented young people to stay in the u.s. and apply for a work permit. a strategy that directly targets young voters under 30, like debbie rios. the republicans say it isn't the right solution. mitt romney, now the party's candidate, fires back. >> i believe the status of young

people who come here through no fault of their own is an important matter to be considered and should be solved on a long-term basis. >> reporter: on the grnd the national parties are dialing into the latino community. and both parties come to nevada for the national council's annual conference. janet is their president. >> we saw latinos be a swing vote in 2010 and in 2008 when barack obama was put into office and when harry reid was elected into office. as it turns out, they tipped the scales, and i think everyone credits the latino community with having made the difference in those elections. >> reporter: the nclr conference has been a center stage for latino politics. candidates obama and mccain spoke here in 2008, but neither candidate attends in 2012.

janet says it's a missed opportunity. >> it's important to tap into that growing power of the latino community and to encourage as many latinos and hispanics to be full participants in the electoral process. [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: which is exactly what cecilia aldana is focusing on. >> we are conservative. will we are trying to educate the population on the different options. >> reporter: frustrated by the split in the nevada's republican party, cecilia moves forward on her own. though still a hardcore republican, she decides to join an independent conservative group. >> i became part of nevada hispanic, it was created by one of my greatest friends. we believe in strong immigration. we believe on the family. >> why not work with the republican party? >> i think you can achieve more

doing what i'm doing because i don't tell you how to vote. will i want to teach you how this country works. >> reporter: the republican prlt party's outreach is slowly taking shape. with the state party in disarray, the republican national committee and the romney campaign start their own separate outreach. in april, they opened their offices. there were many people in nevada who felt it was late by then. do you feel it was late? >> no, i don't feel it was late and a lot of times, you know, people aren't really plugging in until you get to this time of year. >> reporter: but are republicans plugging into nevada latinos

the state of nevada is that your focus in the campaign? >> no as i mentioned to you, i've been in ohio, wisconsin this week. >> you told me nevada is could be a critical swing state? >> it is. we can do more than one state at the same time. >> reporter: and he will have to, with obama and romney nearly tied in the polls and just weeks left till the election, the latino vote is especially crucial. up next, democrats and republicans bring latino issues and players to the biggest stage yet.

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the democratic national convention, the party's biggest political pep rally of the year. front and center is state senator ruben kihuen, one of the party's biggest fans. earlier, ruben took one for the team, as he describes it, dropping out of of the highly contested congressional race for district one in nevada. he says he feared his candidacy would divide the democratic party. tonight, ruben represents nevada as the democratic national committeeman. >> i ran for national committeeman, got elected. so this is part of my

responsibility, to be here, but also because i'm one of the main sair gats for the president's campaign back home. >> my grandmother didn't live to see our lives beginning in public service but probably would have thought it extraordinary. >> reporter: the first time a latino is doing the keynote at the dnc, which surprised me to some degree. an important message will sent to latinos. >> i think his message is the american dream is still alive, we work hard, we sacrifice, still out there similar to my message when i was campaigning for congress. for know witness this is historic. >> journey that brought me here tonight -- >> reporter: with the election a virtual dead heat, both parties are desperate to connect with the nation's a24 million eligible latino voters. [ speaking spanish ]

>> reporter: the republican pitch at their convention? they're the party true to the conservative beliefs latinos believe in most. >> there was no limit to how far i could go because i was an american. >> reporter: republican cecelia aldana dreamed of going as a delegate to the convention. it didn't happen, so cecelia shifted efforts away from the republican party and toward an independent conservative group called nevada hispanics. she is now the chairwoman. should the republican party look at you and say, this is what we need to win hispanics. if we don't get hispanics eventually we are really not going to be competitive? >> yes, they need to make a note that, what i'm doing every day --

>> but they don't take a note? >> they don't make a note. >> reporter: the party needs to be making notes and fast. cecilia aldana is doing her part and believes her independent effort could deliver 5,000 to 10,000 conservative votes for mitt romney. >> she's doing a lot of outreach and grass roots, too. >> she told me she did this because she couldn't get in. >> that is what leaders do she was a leader. they don't wait for anybody. >> wouldn't it take more sense take somebody like that a leader that wants to make governor romney win? >> absolutely. i'm sure she will be a big supporter around contributor going forward. >> that is. that is my point. a big supporter around contributor financially like to see governor romney as president can't figure out how to get in

and believes -- her interpretation is the campaign is disorganized and not focusing on hispanics in nevada, the romney campaign doesn't really care. >> sure. what happens in campaigns also is campaigns change. you are running a primary campaign you don't low have a lot of resources on the ground, you are the nominee now you have more resource and staff and these things change very, very quickly. >> reporter: romney wasn't doing himself any favors, especially when this tape from a spring fund-raiser is release d. >> my father was governor of michigan, the head of a car company, but he was born in mexico. had he have been born to mexican parents, i would have had a better shot at winning. >> reporter: with the election weeks away, nevada is still up for grabs.

los angeles mayor antonio villaraigosa is one of president obama's key campaigners for the latino vote. do you think the state of nevada is going to be the next president? >> 24 out of the last 25 elections they have picked the president. as nevada goes, so goes the nation. but i see a very close election. >> reporter: today there are 51 million latinos in the country, roughly half eligible to vote and their votes are critical to winning the election. but what about their voices? when will their numbers translate into political power? >> i've said this to democrats and republicans alike. we know that when latinos see more candidates coming from their community, there's no question that has a way of kind of energizing the latino vote. >> reporter: ruben kihuen hopes to be one of those candidates in the future. will you run for office again? >> absolutely. >> reporter: will you be a congressman? >> absolutely. >> reporter: one day. >> one day. yes. >> when? >> i still aspire to be that first latino congressman from the stateof