Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are both concentrating on their Nevada ground games in hopes of slowing Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

Since Trump secured back-to-back primary wins in South Carolina and New Hampshire and sprinted out to a lead of 20 points in Nevada, both Cruz and Rubio hope getting out the vote in greater numbers than expected will help them in Tuesday's caucus.

"In Nevada, organization is key," said Jeremy Hughes, Rubio's state director. "I wouldn't say it's sexy, but it's the grind work you've got to do to win elections here."

Rubio Has Deep Roots in Nevada

Rubio arrived in Nevada over the weekend, but his roots in the state date back to his childhood. He attended grade school there before his parents relocated to Miami. His cousin, Mo Denis, is a state senator, and other family members have often accompanied him on the local campaign trial.

"Believe it or not, we still have more family in southern Nevada than in South Florida," Rubio recently told a crowd of supporters. "So if I only win by 68 votes here, you'll know why."

Operations for Rubio have been up and running in the state for roughly a year, and the campaign has particularly made a spirited effort to connect with Mormons and senior voters.

"You have to remember who's going to show up to caucus," said Mike Slanker, a key Rubio adviser who worked on the local campaigns of Gov. Brian Sandoval and State Sen. Dean Heller. "There are going to be, like, seven people there. So you want to look to your most civic-minded people. Who is that in this state? It's Mormons and seniors. It's a powerful combination. If you can't get those folks you're not going to win."

Not far from Rubio's office, supporters for Cruz have set up camp and are toiling just as tirelessly.

Cruz Also Desperate for Strong Nevada Showing

"Today Ted's volunteers are in full force building our ground game in Nevada," supporters recently assured voters in one campaign call after another. "And the most important part of our ground game is establishing local contacts in individual precincts so that every voter has the opportunity to hear Ted's message."

A Cruz staffer recently boasted "hundreds of thousands" of such calls have gone out in recent days, all part of the campaign's relentless effort to get the vote out.

"We're hitting our targets," said field representative Matthew Bell. Cruz easily boasted the most sophisticated caucus operation in Iowa, which largely propelled him to the only win any candidate has thus far registered over Trump. Here in Nevada, supporters are again hoping to draw on that expertise.

"I'm thrilled to be surrounded by lovers of liberty," Cruz recently told supporters in the state from the bed of a black pickup truck. "If every one of you gets ten people to show up Tuesday night, the men and women standing in this parking lot can change the outcome of the Nevada caucuses."

Recent polling shows Trump leading in 10 of the next 14 GOP voting states, Nevada included. Even in Cruz's home state of Texas, polls show Trump trailing the Texas senator by just 7 points, perhaps positioning him to snare at least some of the state's 172 total delegates.

"I'm really on my way," Trump boasted about his prospects after his win in South Carolina earlier this month. "I'm going to win."

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