Illegal immigration is an issue in this border town.

ABOARD THE ELECTION EXPRESS, TOMBSTONE, Arizona (CNN) – In 1886, Wyatt Earp battled outlaws at the OK Corral. Today, it’s Deputy Marshal J.D. DeMatteo keeping the peace. But his battle is with illegal immigrants.

When he is not patrolling the streets of this town near the border, he leads a volunteer posse looking for illegal immigrants.

“The coyotes are dropping off around this area,” DeMatteo said this weekend, as the CNN Election Express rolled through this historic Wild West town. Coyotes are smugglers who help illegal immigrants enter the country.

“Some of the vehicles are loaded up with drugs, and then they’re picking up on the other side in some of the washes, and then heading out trying to get to Tucson and L.A.”

DeMatteo recalled an incident when he was attacked by a group of illegal immigrants, which he said he was able to stop by firing a shotgun round into the air.

“We go out into the desert looking for locations that illegals are dropped off,” he said. “[We] track them, detain them, until border patrol arrives.”

– CNN Election Express Producer Joshua Rubin

Monahans’ mayor is looking to short-circuit the boom-and-bust cycle

ABOARD THE ELECTION EXPRESS, MONAHANS, Texas (CNN) – Life is good for Mayor David Cutbirth. The price of oil – the lifeblood of his West Texas city, population 7,000 — is skyrocketing.

The city of Monahans’ economy is booming now, but Cutbirth said he is worried. He has also lived through a bust, and would prefer the cost of oil to come down a little bit more. It is currently priced at over $90 a barrel. Just a few weeks ago, it reached $100.

“A growing concern out here is that energy costs would get too high, and we believe … those types of numbers will tip the economy into a recession,” he said this week during a stop by the CNN Election Express in this city. “So that has been our fear out here.”

Cutbirth said he is not sure what Congress and the White House can do to keep the price of oil within a profitable but reasonable range. But he added that Washington lawmakers need to put an emphasis on developing alternative energy sources.

“Congress and the president have started late on this thing,” Cutbirth said. “But that is what we need to do. We need to diversify the economy in terms of energy, and get away from oil.”

At some point, Cutbirth said he realizes the oil beds beneath his feet will run dry. He is working now to ensure his city is not overly-dependent on oil — which could make for hard times again in the future.

Cutbirth has a political philosophy that would seem unorthodox perhaps outside of West Texas. He votes for Democrats in local and state elections, but Republican in presidential contests.

“A lot of us think of ourselves as social Democrats and fiscal Republicans,” he said.

This year, though, Cutbirth said he is keeping all of his options open.

“If I think they are going to get in there, and they’ll do a good job for our country and make this country strong, then I am going to vote for them,” he said.

Voters are divided over the stimulus package.

ABOARD THE ELECTION EXPRESS, CARLISLE, Arkansas (CNN) – Christine Bageant is likely smiling. Rick McKay is definitely frowning.

News of the bipartisan stimulus package reached Thursday in Washington means different things to different people. Bageant owns a Sonic tucked off of I-40 east of Little Rock. McKay is the proprietor of an auto repair collision shop in Searcy, northeast of this state’s capital city.

For Bageant, the measure likely means more hungry travelers, more burgers flipped, and more cash register rings. McKay, whose business is not necessarily dictated by short-term economic fixes, thinks the agreement reached by President Bush and congressional leaders is fruitless.

We spoke to both of these small business owners Wednesday as the CNN Election Express motored through Arkansas on a six-day cross-country tour to talk to voters about what are their most pressing concerns.

McKay said he would rather see a long-term fix to the nation’s economic woes. And he wants a tax cut.

“I don’t know that we need to throw a bunch of money, several billion dollars to prop up the economy,” he said, as political leaders were in the middle of hammering out final details of the plan. “Does it need to be propped up? Give me something that is going to help me in the long run. Reduce our taxes. I own my own business. If I had a tax break or if I knew I was going to pay less taxes then I would start looking at how I was going to use that money to grow my business.”

On the other hand, Bageant told us that her business is struggling, and this type of rebate plan is needed.

“If they are not spending money we are not making money,” she said. “I am a small business owner. We are struggling to pay bills month to month just like anyone else.”

But Bageant and McKay do agree on one thing: the lawmakers back in Washington need to work together to find solutions.

“Stop arguing,” she said. “You are acting like children.”

McKay added, “They are bickering. Nothing is happening in Washington. We just have nothing going on. I don’t know why these guys are even up there.”

Employment insecurity is driving the votes of many.

ABOARD THE ELECTION EXPRESS, West Memphis, Arkansas (CNN) – Veda Hardy received a present last Christmas that no one would want. Had it arrived by postage, she would have handed it back to the mailman with a simple message: Return to Sender.

Hardy said she was one of 80 people laid off by her company in December 2006, while another 350 workers from another business nearby were let go. At 46, receiving a pink slip can be particularly hard. But Hardy, who lives in nearby Searcy, decided to do something about it. She went back to school.

Hardy had seen coverage of our cross country trip from South Carolina to California, where we are making stops along the way to talk to Americans about how the economy is impacting their lives, and possibly their votes.

She approached us to say that the number issue for her is job creation.

“I am currently going to school with a lot of 40-plus age bracket, and I think our concerns are with the job market,” Hardy said.

The issue of jobs even trumped Iraq, a war her son served in for 14 months as a gunner on a M1 Abrams Tank. She supports the U.S. efforts in Iraq and quotes her son about how we hear very little about the achievements being made in the war torn country.

“We tend to look at the negative so much of the war, of the cost, and yes we have loss of lives, oh my goodness,” Hardy said. “But he came home and said ‘Mom you just don’t hear the news reporting about getting electricity, getting running water, clean water. Women can vote.’”

Still, for Hardy it is about jobs.

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The CNN Election Express is headed across the country.

ABOARD THE ELECTION EXPRESS, Birmingham, Alabama (CNN) – The cost of diesel was $3.26 a gallon Wednesday at the Pilot Travel Center, but the biggest concern for independent trucker Charles Dye wasn’t the price of fuel. It was NAFTA.

When Dye first got behind the wheel of his rig eight years ago, the 28-year-old said he grossed $180,000. Last year, Dye said he made $65,000 before expenses — barely enough to live on as he ran roofing oil between Memphis, Tennessee and Savannah, Georgia. He is on the road 20 days a month.

Because he is an independent contractor, Dye has to purchase his own health insurance. Right now, he is not covered. Luckily, the mother of his four-year-old child does have insurance, which helps alleviate the financial burden.

The North American Free Trade Agreement, which loosened restrictions on goods and services between the U.S., Mexico and Canada, is to blame for the hit he is taking in the wallet, he said.

“It was hard for me to make a living last year other than the years before, because of the way they opened the borders and let the trucks come over and practically do work for nothing,” he said, as the gasoline flowed from the pump into his rig.

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CNN's Ali Velshi and Mark Preston are headed across the country on board the CNN Election Express.

ABOARD THE ELECTION EXPRESS, Atlanta (CNN) — Once he gets access to the Internet, Lavvy Deondre is confident he will be able to turn his life around.

Deondre is relatively new to Atlanta, and he doesn’t own a computer. Every night he finds a new place to rest his head. Deondre is homeless, but he is also optimistic. He just needs the Internet.

“I want access to the Internet, search the Internet and then try to make some plans to come up with an idea,” Deondre said late Tuesday night as a cold rain soaked his clothes, but clearly not his spirit.

Ali Velshi and I ran into him after talking with several international businessmen following our 400 mile drive from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – the first leg of our cross-country journey to hear what is on voters’ minds.

The two conversations couldn’t have been anymore different. While the group of businessmen talked about how the impact of the U.S. markets affected the global economy, Deondre said the need to build affordable, safe housing was his top priority.

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ABOARD THE ELECTION EXPRESS, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (CNN) – Gene Hall didn’t watch Monday night’s Democratic presidential debate. The 46-year-old father of four was working – delivering pizzas until late into the night.

It was Hall’s second shift of the day. Earlier, he was behind the wheel of his Beach Boy taxi. Hall told me he has no insurance — when one of his children needs to go to the doctor, he pays out of his own pocket.

“If I was to get sick for two or three days, I am in trouble,” he said.

The plight of the uninsured is a central theme in this year’s presidential race. But unlike many people who are calling for a universal health care plan, Hall doesn’t think that is the answer.

“Somebody is going to have to pay for it,” said Hall, who added he thinks it would mean an increase in taxes. A tax increase is a hit to the wallet that Hall cannot afford.

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The CNN Election Express is heading across the country.

ABOARD THE ELECTION EXPRESS, South Carolina (CNN) – The country is at war, the economy is stalling, and the presidential candidates are fighting over everything from universal health care to illegal immigration.

The Democratic and Republican White House hopefuls are offering their plans, but is America listening? Over the next six days we will search for that answer, and provide Americans an opportunity to say what’s on their minds as the CNN Election Express motors from Myrtle Beach to Los Angeles.

For the past year, if you lived in Iowa or New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada, chances are you bumped into Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, John McCain or Barack Obama.

These states have made their voices heard — except for South Carolina’s Democrats, who vote on Saturday — but were the voters in Alabama or New Mexico listening?

The candidates had better hope so. Voters in these states and 22 others head to the polls on February 5, when 1,681 Democratic and 1020 Republican delegates are up for grabs.

This is no planned tour. We are going to make unscheduled stops in little towns and big cities, truck stops and diners. When we pull over, CNN’s Ali Velshi will be jumping off the bus to hear what’s on voters’ minds, while I blog along the way.

We begin our journey in South Carolina, and end in California: 2,600 miles and the lives and stories of millions of Americans lie in-between.

So, tune into CNN and The Ticker throughout the day and night for the latest from the road.

– CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

The CNN Election Express on location in St. Petersburg.

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (CNN)– The CNN Election Express is in Florida. That’s where the Republican presidential candidates will face off this Wednesday in a CNN YouTube debate.

While Florida’s long played an important role in general election in the race for the White House (remember the Florida recount in 2000), this time around it’s also playing a larger role in the primary process. That’s because the Sunshine State moved up the date of its primary to late January.

Right now Senator Hillary Clinton of New York is the front runner in polls in Florida in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. In surveys of Republican voters in Florida, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s on top.

The CNN Election Express just made a cross country trip. Dale Fountain drove the bus to Florida from Las Vegas, where CNN hosted a Democratic presidential debate on November 15th.

Click here to see CNN's new political portal: CNNPolitics.com

– CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser

The CNN Election Express has arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada.

ON BOARD THE CNN ELECTION EXPRESS (CNN) — We’ve made it Las Vegas and we’ve set up shop in front of the Excalibur Hotel and Casino along the Strip.

We started the day in St. George, Utah. After packing up the bus, we headed southwest from there, along Interstate 15, passing through some beautiful desert canyons along the way in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada.

Now we’re in Las Vegas, where CNN and the Nevada Democratic Party will put on Thursday night’s presidential debate.

The national party made Nevada more of player in the presidential primary calendar, moving the state’s caucuses up to mid January. Nevada’s growing Latino population and its large union workforce are two reasons why the Democrats made the move.

– CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser

CNN's Bill Schneider gives a preview of the upcoming presidential debate in Las Vegas, Nevada.

ONBOARD THE CNN ELECTION EXPRESS (CNN) — We’re in Southwestern Utah, on the road to Las Vegas.

Utah is considered the most Republican state in the country. President Bush grabbed 72 percent of the vote here in 2004. The governor and both senators and two of the state’s three house members are Republicans. The last time the Democrats won this state in a presidential election was 1964.

We started this morning in Grand Junction, Colorado. After a couple of live reports by CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider for our domestic and international networks, we packed up and headed west.

We crossed over the border into Utah and soon set up shop in the middle of the rugged desert. The gang in the control room asked for our location. I couldn’t give a town as a locator, because there was no town for miles around. Grand County was the best I could do.

We moved on and drove some through some beautiful yet desolate landscapes, as we made our way west through the Beehive state.

We’re on the road to Las Vegas, where CNN and the Nevada Democratic Party will put on Thursday night’s presidential debate. The national party made Nevada more of player in the presidential primary calendar, moving the state’s caucuses up to mid January. Nevada’s growing Latino population and its large union workforce are two reasons why the Democrats made the move.

– CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser

The CNN Election Express on location near the Colorado-Utah border Sunday.

ONBOARD THE CNN ELECTION EXPRESS (CNN)– We’re out in the middle of the rugged desert in southeastern Utah. I can’t give a town as a locator, because there’s no town for miles around. Grand County is the best I can do.

Utah is considered the most Republican state in the country. President Bush grabbed 72% of the vote here in 2004. The governor and both senators and two of the state’s three house members are Republicans. The last time the Democrats won this state in a presidential election was 1964.

Mormons make up just over 60 percent of Utah’s population.

We started this morning in Grand Junction, Colorado. After a couple of live reports by CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider for our domestic and international networks, we packed up and headed west.

We’re on the road to Las Vegas, where CNN and the Nevada Democratic Party will put on Thursday night’s presidential debate. The national party made Nevada more of player in the presidential primary calendar, moving the state’s caucuses up to mid January. Nevada’s growing Latino population and its large union workforce are two reasons why the Democrats made the move.

Click here to see CNN's new political portal: CNNPolitics.com

– CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser

The CNN Election Express stops at the Vail Pass for live reports as they head toward Las Vegas.

ON BOARD THE CNN ELECTION EXPRESS (CNN)– We’re on the road to Las Vegas. That’s where CNN and the Nevada Democratic Party will hold a presidential debate this Thursday.

We’re riding the CNN Election Express, stopping along the way as we pass through the Rocky Mountains towards Las Vegas. We started this trip in Denver, along side the state capitol. The Democrats are holding their presidential convention in the Mile High City next summer. Setting aside California, it’s been 80 years since the Democrats held a convention west of Chicago, and they are coming here for good reason.

Colorado has a Democratic governor and a Democratic controlled state legislature for the first time in 40 years. “I think Colorado is absolutely a state that the Democratic Party could win,” says Colorado Governor Bill Ritter. He continues, saying “Bill Clinton won it in 1992. No Democrat has won it since, but we are in a different place than we have been in recent elections.”

And it’s not just Colorado. Democrats made major gains throughout the Rocky Mountain states. They’ve picked up four House seats, two Senate seats and three Governorships in the past two elections.

“I would say there’s a four state area, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, that truly are going to be up for grabs in the presidential election and some others as well could be surprises,” says Arizona’s Democratic Governor, Janet Napolitano. “So when you combine those electoral votes if you’re looking at the map and how to get to that magic number to be elected as president, there’s a big clump of votes out there to get,” she adds.

The Mountain West’s population is growing and changing. Many residents now come from the East and West coasts and there’s a growing Latino population. But it’s not just California transplants and East Coast retirees who are changing the nature of politics here. It is concern within the natural constituency of the Republican Party that there is a threat to the things that make this region special. Increased oil and gas drilling has sportsmen and ranchers worried about quality of life issues.

Click here to see CNN's new political portal: CNNPolitics.com
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The CNN Election Express stops at the Vail Pass for live reports.

ON BOARD THE CNN ELECTION EXPRESS (CNN)– We’re on the road to Las Vegas. And we’re two miles high. We set up shop and CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider did live reports for CNN Domestic and CNN International at the Vail Pass, nearly 11,000 feet in altitude.

We started the morning in Denver, outside the state capitol. The Democrats are holding their presidential convention in the Mile High City next summer. The party’s made major gains in Colorado and throughout the Rocky Mountain states. They’ve picked up four House seats, two Senate seats and three Governorships over the past two elections.

Here in Colorado, Democrats control the governor’s office and both houses of the state legislature for the first time in 40 years. A region that was once reliably red is now up for grabs and Democrats hope to continue that trend in next year’s Presidential election. That’s one reason their holding their convention in Denver.

But Republicans say that they’ll hold on to the region, especially if Hillary Clinton wins the nomination.

Bill Schneider’s first live shot this morning was in front of the state capitol. But just as we were finishing up, we had to move. The city was setting up for Denver’s Veterans Day parade, and the CNN Election Express was in the way. So we quickly packed up, brought down the satellite dish atop the bus, and drove over to Mile High Stadium to set up shop again. Schneider was back at it, going live for CNN and CNN International.

After a few more live reports for CNN Domestic and our international network, we were on our way, up into the Rocky Mountains, and on the road to Las Vegas, where CNN will host Thursday’s Democratic Presidential Debate.

Related video: Watch Bill Schneider report from Vail Pass on the way to Las Vegas

Related video: Watch Paul Steinhauser report on Western politics

Click here to see CNN's new political portal: CNNPolitics.com

– CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser

Watch Sen. Biden's take on the Pakistan crisis.

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden told CNN Sunday he is not surprised by the current instability in Pakistan, and said that if he were president he would be working to ensure elections took place there in the coming weeks.

The “way out for [Pervez] Musharraf and in turn for us and Pakistan is this guarantee, making it known now that the election will go off within sixty days and there will be a fair arbiter of whether or not it was conducted fairly,” Biden told CNN's Candy Crowley in a wide-ranging interview aboard the CNN Election Express as it ambled through Iowa.

Biden spoke to former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto while campaigning in Iowa Sunday and told voters he was trying to connect with President Musharraf to talk about the political crisis in Pakistan.

The Delaware senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee agreed with the Bush administration’s decision to review U.S. aid to Pakistan and told Crowley he thinks the war in Iraq has contributed to Musharraf’s present situation.

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Biden said he's not interested in being No. 2.

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden told CNN Sunday he is confident a top three finish in Iowa will propel him to his party’s nomination, and said he would not consider being a vice presidential candidate if his White House bid is unsuccessful.

“I believe I’m going to do very well here,” the Delaware senator told Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley during an interview on the CNN Election Express. “If I end up one, two or three then I believe I’m the nominee because all of the sudden the national press will have to cover me.” (Related: Biden says Bill Clinton will overshadow VP position)

Biden pointed to his years of foreign policy experience and relationships at home and abroad that make him the most qualified of the crowded Democratic field.

“This is not a time for on-the-job training and no matter how smart the next president is, you know and I know that they don’t make really difficult decisions, no matter how bright their advisors are unless they feel it in their gut, these are good decent people these Democrats. It’s going to take them a while to get their footing, we don’t have a whole long time,” Biden said.

When pressed about who among his candidate colleagues might need to learn as they go, Biden replied: “I’m talking about the entire field … the exception might be Chris Dodd and I would’ve thought Bill Richardson but some of the things Bill’s saying these days, I find it confuses me whether or not he has a sense of a proportion about our place in the world.”

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