EDWARDS PICKS UP A NEVADA UNION ENDORSEMENT.

So far the Nevada caucus -- scheduled for Jan. 19 -- has been the forgotten early primary, even though it'll take place a week before the South Carolina vote. But watch for Nevada to come into its own after the whirlwind of Iowa and New Hampshire dies down. On the Democratic side, Nevada is all about mobilizing the state's powerful unions in the tourism sector, all of whom have yet to endorse. Keep your eye on the Culinary Workers, which boasts 60,000 members.

But yesterday John Edwards picked up the endorsement of a much smaller Nevada union, Local 9413 of the Communications Workers of America, with 4,000 members. Edwards has been a frequent visitor to the state in recent weeks, and is already supported by the local carpenters, steelworkers and transport unions. Nevada CWA president Chuck Benway mentioned Edwards' leadership on universal health care in his statement, but he also, somewhat surprisingly, expressed enthusiasm for what I'd call Edwards' white guy appeal, "his rural background, his support for Second Amendment rights, his resolute nature."

Even though the Nevada CWA is small, every little bit counts in a state hosting its first early primary, and a complex, Iowa-style caucus at that. In 2004, only 9,000 eligible Nevadans caucused. The goal among Democrats is 100,000 voters this year, but many local observers say that's a stretch.

--Dana Goldstein