Republicans, Democrats go door-to-door asking for votes

LAS VEGAS - With just three days until the general election, Republicans and Democrats were out in force Saturday, going door-to-door asking for votes and bringing in Hollywood stars to rally the troops.

''Sometimes people lose a little enthusiasm when there's a couple days to go,'' Gov. Kenny Guinn said at the state Republican Party headquarters, where several hundred volunteers met before heading into neighborhoods.

''I think it's energizing the base,'' he said.

The volunteers, along with Guinn, U.S. Senate candidate John Ensign and state Sen. Jon Porter, who is running for Congress, went door-to-door asking residents to vote Republican, but specifically encouraged people to vote for Porter.

Porter is in a tight race with Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, D-Nev. The latest poll commissioned by the Las Vegas Review-Journal shows Berkley with a 10-point lead.

''These folks are going to make a difference,'' Porter said, adding that he was ''cautiously optimistic'' that he will win Tuesday's general election.

Ensign said going to neighborhoods and asking for votes could make the difference in Porter's campaign and his. The Review-Journal poll has Ensign with a 17-point lead over his opponent, Democrat Ed Bernstein, but two years ago Ensign lost his Senate bid by only 428 votes to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

''We're not taking it for granted,'' Ensign said. ''We don't want to wake up to the same (results) we did two years ago,'' Ensign said.

The Republican volunteers all wore white Porter for Congress T-shirts and Ensign stickers. They were given a pep talk, then headed out to various neighborhoods.

In contrast, the Democratic rally Saturday, attended by several hundred mostly Hispanic and black volunteers, was filled with loud music, dancing and Hollywood stars.

''Nevada is a big state,'' said Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. ''The race is very close and we need Nevada.''

Berkley, who has been stuck in Washington, D.C. while Congress was still in session, said she was trying to pack a month's campaigning into three days.

Bernstein said the minority vote is critical in this election.

''I think we've done a better job than we ever have in the past in getting the minority vote out,'' he said, music blaring as salsa dancers performed outside Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gate's campaign office.

Actor Jimmy Smits led the crowd in a ''Go Al Go'' cheer and talked about how close the presidential race will be.

He encouraged the crowd to influence their friends and neighbors to vote.

''Decisions that are going to be made in this election ... are going to affect you guys' future,'' he said, speaking some of his words in Spanish. ''We don't want to move back, that's the whole thing.''

''E.R.'' actress Michael Michele and ''Will and Grace'' star Eric McCormack also addressed the crowd.

Local Democrats then walked neighborhoods, urging residents to vote.

On Sunday, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman will visit Las Vegas while Republican vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney comes to the valley on Monday.