Why Democrats Chose Las Vegas for 1st Debate

Ah Las Vegas, home of Celine Dion, the soft 17 in blackjack and … labor unions. Often lost in all the glamour and the flashing lights on the strip is the fact that about 20% of the workforce in Las Vegas is covered by organized labor. That's a big reason why the Democrats will be holding their first debate there Tuesday night.

Las Vegas' union number is higher than the figures for Boston, Boulder, Denver or even Detroit. Las Vegas and, in a larger sense, Nevada are in many ways the capitals of the new labor movement, full of construction and service jobs covered by unions. And that makes Nevada prime real estate for the Democratic Party, NBC News reported.

Over the last 10 years, as organized labor has been in retreat in the United States as a whole, the Silver State has been a notable exception. In 2004, Nevada looked a lot like the nation - 14.3% of the employed were represented by unions in the state versus 13.8% nationally. But since then, there has been separation. By 2014, the number was 16.4% in the state versus 12.3% nationally.

Contact Us