Las Vegas

THE BELLAGIO HOTEL and Casino opened in 1998 and has been, for the last decade, the crown jewel of the Vegas Strip. It’s opulence is embodied by an 8 acre lake in front of the hotel which features a $50 million fountain that performs elaborate displays choreographed to music. (The fountain really is an 8th Wonder of the World, shooting water 250 feet into the air as it dances.) The Bellagio has hosted celebrities and been featured in movies. Never before has it been a meaningful part of a presidential election. Until now.

The Bellagio was one of the nine “at-large” sites established by Nevada’s Democratic party to make it easier for members of the Culinary Workers Union to participate in the state’s stepped-up caucus. The caucus goers started lining up at 11:00 a.m. and among them you could see a few casino-worker archetypes: pneumatic, blonde cocktail waitresses; short, round-faced housekeeping staff; tuxedoed valets; white-jacketed kitchen staff; the soulless blackjack dealers with their cold, dead eyes.