Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks at a Friday news conference on Capitol Hill focusing on the Democratic agenda for the 110th Congress. Photo by The Associated Press. Rep. Dean Heller Nevada Republican settling in New York Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton, above, and Republican Rudy Giuliani, below, former mayor of New York, would be the winners if Nevadans held their party caucuses today, according to a recent poll. Photos by The Associated Press.

To celebrate the new Congress and her ascension to House speaker, Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California took a four-day victory lap last week that included an Italian Embassy dinner and a serenade from Tony Bennett.

Harry Reid, on the other hand, had breakfast at Rep. Shelley Berkley's house.

Whether you think Reid is dour or diligent, the new Senate majority leader from Nevada scheduled himself a largely frills-free day Thursday, the usually celebratory congressional opening day.

Reid attended a breakfast reception at Berkley's Capitol Hill townhouse, where he did not eat anything but allowed himself to share some jokes with the Nevada congresswoman, a fellow Democrat also enjoying newfound majority status.

The rest of the day pretty much was meetings with Senate colleagues, floor speeches and meetings with staff, according to aides.

Reid was scheduled to attend a reception for Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., one of his mentors. But spokesman Jon Summers could not say whether Reid made it there or to any other social events for that matter.

Several friends offered to throw Reid parties similar to the ones where Pelosi was the star, but Reid turned them down. Summers wouldn't identify them, saying Reid did not want them to be embarrassed.

Summers checked with Reid's wife, Landra, on whether the couple celebrated in any way, and came up empty.

"To be honest with you, after the events of the day he was beat," Summers said.

He noted that Reid returned from a South American trip Tuesday, flew to Michigan on Wednesday to attend President Ford's funeral, and then opened the Senate on Thursday, including delivering a speech warning colleagues to be prepared to work hard.

After the Senate wrapped up work, "he went home and spent some quality time with his wife," Summers said.

NEW YORKERS LEAD PACK

If presidential caucuses were held today, Nevada Democrats would pick Sen. Hillary Clinton and Republicans would pick former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

That's the conclusion of a poll by New Hampshire-based national pollster American Research Group, which has added Nevada to its list of early presidential nominating states in conducting what appears to be the first scientific poll of Nevada primary voters for the 2008 contest.

The pollster also tested Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire.

Results were similar across the board, with Clinton and Sens. John Edwards and Barack Obama ahead among Democrats and Giuliani, Sen. John McCain and former Rep. Newt Gingrich the standout Republicans in all four states.

Nevada Democrats gave Clinton the most support -- 37 percent, versus no more than 34 percent elsewhere -- and Edwards the least support, just 8 percent compared to 18 percent or more in the other states. Obama got support from 12 percent of the likely Nevada caucus participants polled.

Nevada Republicans liked Giuliani best, giving him 31 percent, his highest number of the four states. McCain got 25 percent and Gingrich 22 percent.

More Nevadans were undecided than were those polled in other states -- 23 percent of Democrats and 18 percent of Republicans. Pollster Dick Bennett said that makes sense since Nevada has never hosted an early contest before.

The poll, conducted just before Christmas, surveyed 600 likely primary or caucus participants from each party in each state by telephone. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Democrats will hold an early 2008 nominating caucus in Nevada next January, and Nevada Republicans are looking to hold an early event of their own.

COUNTERING CAUCUS

Republicans are still trying to figure out what they can do to counter that early Democratic caucus.

While the national party will not consider changing its own early contest schedule, Nevada GOP Chairman Paul Adams is suggesting some kind of straw poll -- an informal party test that would attract candidates to the state and get party voters energized -- to be held on Jan. 19, 2008, the day of the Democratic caucus.

Such a contest wouldn't be official; Nevada's delegates to the 2008 Republican Convention wouldn't be chosen until later.

But it would "provide Nevada Republicans and Republican presidential candidates with some exposure," Adams wrote in a party memo.

"I'm floating this idea to the county chairs, saying, 'This is going to be a lot of work. Are you prepared?' " Adams said last week. "The general feeling is yes, we ought to do this, but it's a matter of logistics."

The Republicans' effort wouldn't be on the scale of the Democrats', which is projected to cost more than $1 million.

"It would be silly for us to spend a fortune on a straw poll," Adams said. "But we'd want it to be something legitimate that brings in a lot of people and that we could have fun with."

The county chairs are to discuss the idea in a conference call Wednesday.

GOP CHAIRMAN SURVIVES

Speaking of Adams, rumors of his demise appear to have been exaggerated.

The businessman, Army veteran and lawyer who came under heavy criticism during the campaign has been asked to stay on by Gov. Jim Gibbons and the top Republicans in the state Legislature, he said Friday.

Many expected Adams to be ousted after the election. He was seen as not effective enough in raising money and advocating for the Republican ticket, while undermining party unity by appearing to take sides in some primary contests.

But Adams apparently has weathered the storm. His two-year term ("It only feels like 10," he said) expires in the fall.

HELLER HIRING STAFF

Nevada's new congressman, 2nd District Rep. Dean Heller, is gearing up for his freshman term.

Heller, a Republican who replaces Gibbons and is the only new member of the five-member delegation, has hired a chief of staff and a press secretary.

Mac Abrams, the new chief of staff, previously served as communications director to Sen. David Vitter, R-La. He was not available for an interview last week.

Mac Bybee, the new press secretary, worked on Heller's congressional campaign. Before that, Bybee said, he worked for the Solid Waste Association of North America, an organization for garbage professionals.

As of Friday, his third day of work, Heller had not yet hired a scheduler or a legislative director.

Contact political reporter Molly Ball at 387-2919 or MBall@reviewjournal.com.