All bets are off for swing state Nevada as Harris and Trump battle for Latino votes

ITV News' Correspondent Sejal Karia is in Las Vegas to find out just how razor-thin the presidential race is in the swing-state


Las Vegas is an oasis of decadence in the Nevadan desert, a city built for winning or losing. For the past four elections, it's the Democrats who have hit the jackpot by winning the state.

Already a battleground state, Nevada could now prove even more crucial, becoming a must-win state in a razor-thin race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Unsurprisingly then, the race here is also the tightest it has ever been, with everything to play for.

For decades, Democrats have eked out wins relying on the vote of the Hispanic community. But not any more.

Among the voters who could prove decisive over who wins Nevada are listeners to one of the state's largest Spanish language radio stations, Fiesta 98.1.

Around one in five voters here are Latino, and the co-owner of the station Rafael Cerros Jr told me they make up a group with consequential political power.

"How is this election playing out amongst the Latino community you're speaking to?" I asked Cerros Jr.

"Latino community is a power that I don't even think we know we can tap into," he said.

"It's been frustrating, you know, speaking to the campaigns and saying 'hey guys, this is what we think, listen to us.' I see a lot more Trump than I did four years ago. I see more a lot more Trump than I did eight years ago."

Rafael Cerros Jr. is the co-owner of Fiesta 98.1, Nevada's largest Spanish language radio station. Credit: ITV News

The most pressing issue is the economy, and while business may be booming for the sprawling mega-casinos of Sin City, the windfall is yet to reach its workers. Many are feeling the brunt of the cost of living crisis.

In the mountains above Las Vegas, I met estate agent Mark Arnold, who showed me around a family home that is on the market for £800,000.

It has views over the city and the famous strip. It's an example of how many Nevadans are priced out.

It is a crisis where rents are on the rise and starter homes are scarce. While there are those who are wealthy enough to find what they want, many working-class families face a housing crunch.

Arnold said clients are looking at this election through the lens of the housing issue.

Las Vegas is the most populated city in Nevada. Credit: ITV News

"They're feeling it when they go out shopping or their current rent situation, and whether they can get into a home now or later. And if it's a good time to be out here looking for homes", he said.

"I think with the interest rates being higher than what they were, they're a little sensitive, thinking 'okay, what is my payment going to be monthly and going forward?'"

Unemployment in Nevada is the highest in the nation, so while some are cashing in, others are losing out. Many are ending up in the extensive labyrinth of tunnels beneath the glitzy casinos of Las Vegas.

It is where we joined volunteers helping some of the 1,500 people living here in the storm drains. They stretch for 600 miles and those who exist here do so in darkness and squalor.

We met Jay, who has called this place home for eight years.

"They say anyone's only two pay cheques away from being homeless," he said. He has had a busy night.

"My cats just had kittens tonight," he said. "She had five of them."

Jay lives in Las Vegas' storm drain system along with his cat. Credit: ITV News

He has set up a wooden pallet as a bed with the thinnest of sheets to sleep on. He has a set of drawers too, with other belongings contained in boxes and arranged neatly in his area of the tunnel.

This is what happens when the American Dream slips away.

He tells me he's been down here "forever" and that he probably should leave, and that he has no hope the outcome of this election will make any difference to him.

"As far as I know Donald Trump hasn't done anything to help me nor has Kamala Harris. The homeless problem is a problem, how do you fix that, a delete button? I don't know," he said.

There are a few shafts of light among the darkness. One from a large drain, through which Caesar's Palace, one of Las Vegas's most famous mega-resorts and casinos, is visible.


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Rob Banghart called these tunnels home for two and a half years before rising from the depths to help other tunnel dwellers rebuild their lives, through the charity, Shine a Light.

He said: "The economy is in such a bad place holistically. Just in the last couple of years, everything has gone up so much. You know, seven out of ten Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.

"This is the greatest country in the world, and seven million people are a paycheck away from being homeless. One is not acceptable to me, let alone that massive number."

Working alongside him as a volunteer is Dianna Brand. She told me tackling homelessness should be a higher priority for any politician wanting her vote in this election.

Dianna Brand volunteers with charity Shine a Light. Credit: ITV News

"I see a lot of government programmes offering help in small ways, but I don't think it really addresses the systematic problem of homelessness," she said.

"You know, opening another shelter and giving someone a bed for a night is not going to solve homelessness. You know, there needs to be long-term resources and, like, real structure in place, and I think that's where we really lack."

So in America's gambling capital, the stakes could not be higher for the presidential candidates.

Who wins here is anyone's bet.


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