Ron Paul counts on rural votes in Nevada, Maine; falls short in the Silver State

UPDATE: Mitt Romney easily won the Nevada caucuses, getting about 40 percent of the vote in early returns. Ron Paul, running third with 15 percent of the vote counted, carried rural Nye and Esmerelda counties; Newt Gingrich, running second, carried rural Mineral County. For coverage from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, go here. Politico reports, "In a state where expectations for his campaign were higher than anywhere else to date, the Texas congressman’s third-place finish marked an underwhelming outcome for a candidate whose strategy is predicated on running well in caucus states like Nevada." (Read more)

Photo (via Politico): Nevada rally

Ron Paul is counting on a big vote from rural Nevada in today's Republican caucuses, reports James Hohmann of Politico: "In Pahrump, Paul tailored his message to rural voters who are even more interested than his typical backers in government leaving them alone. 'Independence' was the key buzzword. He decried the loss of property rights and drew some of his biggest cheers when he pledged to eliminate the Department of the Interior. (Read more)

In the crowd were owners and employees of brothels, which are legal in most of rural Nevada. Dennis Hof, owner of the Bunny Ranch near Carson City, almost 400 miles northeast of Pahrump, told NBC's Anthony Terrell, "The Bunny Ranch bunnies are supporting Ron Paul because he’s for states' rights." Hof's girlfriend, Cami Parker, added, "All the bunny babes are registered Republicans. We will be at the caucus on Saturday and we are pimping for Paul." (Read more)

Maine, the most rural state, also has caucuses today, but they will continue until next Saturday. There, Politico says,  it's a two-man race between Paul and Romney.