GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson to visit Pahrump

GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson will hold a political rally in Pahrump on Monday, Nov. 23, officials announced.

Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, will stop at the Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Casino, located at 681 Nevada Highway 160, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The doors open at 8 a.m.

"We are working to welcome candidates to Pahrump," said Leo Blundo, Nye County Republican Central Committee vice chairman. "Never before have we had such a diverse slate of candidates for president. Chairman Carns and I made it a point to create the opportunity for the voters to hear directly from the presidential candidates."

Jimmy Stracner, director for the Carson campaign in Nevada said the event is an opportunity for people in Nye County to hear Carson's vision for America.

"Nye County is a rural county and Dr. Carson wants to get to rural counties and share with everybody his vision for America," Stracner said.

"Dr. Carson believes that every vote counts and he is going to work hard to get every vote in Nevada," he added.

Carson keeps trailing the Republican front-runner, businessman Donald Trump. According to the most recent poll numbers released by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Trump has almost a double-digit lead over Carson in the GOP field.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported earlier that Carson has been ramping up his campaign efforts in Nevada. Recently, the campaign purchased television spots in Las Vegas and Reno and added a number of new staff members, according to the newspaper's report.

Bill Carns, Nye County Republican Party chairman, said that Nye County has been growing over the years as a Republican stronghold and become an important stop for GOP candidates ahead of the Nevada caucus that will take place on Feb. 23.

"This lends for a lot of attention being paid to Nevada by presidential candidates," he said. "We are the only battleground state hosting both Democratic and Republican presidential debates. The Nye County Republican party works through many channels to bring and welcome as many GOP presidential candidates as possible to Pahrump. Dr. Rand Paul and Dr. Ben Carson are the first two and we're working to get more here as well."

Nevada is one of only eight battleground states and the first caucus state in the western U.S., Carns added.

The event marks the second visit of a GOP presidential candidate to Pahrump in less than a month. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul campaigned in town on Oct. 28.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77