Hundreds attend rally in rain, but actors’ visit is brief

Rain didn’t stop hundreds of people from coming out to see actors Eva Longoria and Adam Rodriguez urge voter registration and voting for Barack Obama on Sunday in Las Cruces, but it did appear to cut short the stars’ rally.

“I feel like I’m going to get electrocuted,” Longoria told Rodriguez as she handed him the microphone while raindrops fell on the rally at New Mexico State University. She spoke for two or three minutes before giving up the microphone.

A couple of minutes later, Longoria, who stars in “Desperate Housewives,” was back in the vehicle that transported the stars to the event.

That’s about how it went. The stars arrived later than scheduled and didn’t stay long. Rodriguez, who stars in “CSI: Miami,” spoke for a couple of minutes before handing Longoria the microphone. Both urged students to register to vote before Tuesday’s deadline — and to support Obama.

“For so long, the government has been talking down to the youth, and we finally have a candidate in Barack Obama who is talking to the youth,” Longoria said.

Rodriguez spoke for a couple of additional minutes after Longoria handed him the microphone, then the two began making their way back to their vehicle. Longoria rolled down her window to sign a few autographs, while Rodriguez stood in the rain for several minutes to sign autographs and take photos before he joined her in the vehicle and they left.

Before their brief appearance in Las Cruces, the weather moved back and forth between sunshine and drizzle until, moments before they arrived, a downpour soaked those standing outside Corbett Center waiting to see the stars. By the time Longoria and Rodriguez arrived, the weather had returned to a steady drizzle.

Several local politicians entertained the crowd while people waited for the stars to arrive. And a group of a dozen supporters of Republican presidential John McCain crashed the party, holding signs bearing slogans such as “Nobama,” “Don’t want your change,” “Can’t afford your change,” and “We need leadership, not community organizers.” Several speakers, including Rodriguez, engaged the McCain supporters.

“We gotta thank our McCain friends in the back for showing up today, and I hope they benefited,” Rodriguez said.

Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley also referred to the McCain supporters as he urged young people to vote for Obama if they care about being able to take out student loans and find jobs when they graduate.

“If you don’t vote, we’re going to have four more years of the policies these guys over here are happy to continue,” McCamley said, gesturing to the McCain supporters.

State Rep. Joseph Cervantes took another shot at Republicans as he warmed up the crowd.

“I’m looking forward to meeting Barack Obama’s version of a desperate housewife,” he said. “Now, the Republicans have their own version of a desperate housewife. You remember when they asked her (Sarah Palin) which newspapers she’s read and she said, “All of them.’ And Katie Couric asked her specifically which newspapers she’s read, and she said, ‘All of them, whatever they put in front of me.’ So we’re excited to have a desperate housewife of a different kind today.”

Here are some more photos from the event, starting with Rodriguez pumping up the crowd:

Longoria seeking shelter from the rain while she signs autographs: