(CNN) - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will headline a Democratic event next month in Nevada, a state that draws potential White House candidates as it's the first western state to vote in the primary and caucus calendar.
The Democratic governor will give the keynote speech at the 2014 Clark County Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Las Vegas on May 2, the Nevada Democratic Party announced Monday.
[twitter-follow screen_name='KilloughCNN'] [twitter-follow screen_name='psteinhausercnn']
While O'Malley has said he's focused on his last year as governor, he's also weighing a presidential run and has said he's preparing the "ground work" for a potential campaign.
O'Malley has visited other crucial primary states in the past year, including New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Hillary Clinton's understudy waits in the wings
If he runs for president - and Hillary Clinton runs as well - the Maryland governor could find himself far behind the former secretary of state, recent public opinion polls show.
According to a CNN/ORC International poll released last month, 64% of Democrats and independents who lean Democratic nationwide said they would back Clinton for the Democratic nomination, while only 4 % said they would support O'Malley.
CNN’s Dan Merica contributed to this report.