Columnist Benjamin Grove: Learning the ropes, Porter keeps low profile

Benjamin Grove

Saturday, June 7, 2003 | 3:38 a.m.

EARLY THIS YEAR, JUST days into his freshman year in Congress, Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., hustled off to a regular meeting of House Republicans, where GOP lawmakers meet in a cavernous room behind closed doors to plot strategy.

Porter took an inconspicuous spot in the back.

"You know, new kid. I didn't want to make too many waves. I was just there to learn what I could," Porter said.

But he wasn't there long before a congressional staffer spotted him. "Congressman," she said, "Did you know that you are in the Democratic caucus meeting?"

Porter turned bright red and made a beeline for the exit -- right into the pack of reporters on "stakeout" outside the door. They pounced. A spy, perhaps? "What's a Republican doing inside a Democratic meeting?" they asked.

"I'm just here building bridges," Porter said, hightailing down the hallway -- a dead-end hallway that forced a U-turn and another run past the media pack.

"By that time they knew I was just one of the new kids," Porter recalled in an interview, laughing at the story.

It's been six months since Porter was sworn in as the first lawmaker to serve in Nevada's newly created 3rd District seat. And like his 51 fellow House freshmen, Porter is still learning the geographic and political landscape of Congress.

Much of those early weeks were spent setting up a new office ("It's like starting a business from scratch in 30 days," Porter said) and adjusting to a lifestyle that sharply contrasts with his time in the Nevada Legislature. He's a much smaller fish in a much bigger pond.

Like most freshman, Porter hasn't made much of a splash on Capitol Hill. A big part of his job so far has been attending to constituent problems. He has introduced three pieces of legislation: a resolution that praises U.S. charter schools; a bill to name a Boulder City Post Office after Bruce Woodbury; and a much higher-profile bill that would have established $3,000 accounts for unemployed workers to use for job searches.

Porter also has been quietly going about the important business of making friends with powerful GOP leaders, learning the art of political deal-making, and laying the groundwork for his 2004 campaign.

At this point, Porter has a clear road to re-election. Strolling on Capitol Hill last week after we spoke at a coffee shop, Porter asked me if I had any inside scoops on who his next opponent might be. I don't. No strong contenders have emerged. As Nevada Democratic Party director Rebecca Lambe put it, "We're still assessing the field." But Lambe added that she thinks Porter is vulnerable.

Taking early aim at the lawmaker, Lambe said, "I'm not sure what Jon Porter has accomplished except supporting tax policies that create record deficits and jeopardize the future solvency of Social Security and Medicare and force seniors into HMOs to obtain prescription drug coverage."

Porter said what all politicians say: He is focused on his job, not re-election.

"If you serve your constituents, really take care of them, they will remember you down the road when you ask for their vote," Porter said.

But in the House, lawmakers are elected for just two years, compared to six in the Senate, and campaigning is an inevitable, non-stop part of the job.

Last week Porter and 18 fellow GOP lawmakers began taking a 10-week Spanish class, in part to reach out to Hispanic voters. Nevada ranks sixth in the number of households where Spanish is spoken -- 16 percent.

"I won't be fooling anyone with my Spanish speaking," Porter said. "I just want to be able to listen better. Call it politics -- but we have a responsibility to listen to our constituents. The Latino and Hispanic communities are a big part of our culture now."

Porter also has had several fund-raising events in recent weeks, and he's a recipient of the GOP money machine that dumps money into freshmen campaigns. (Democrats have one, too.) Porter already has received $5,000 and $10,000 donations from most of the GOP House leaders, among them Speaker Dennis Hastert, Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Majority Whip Roy Blunt, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Reynolds, Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael Oxley, and Education and Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner.

Until Election Day, Porter will continue to learn how to make a name for himself -- and how to conduct business -- in the legislative scrum that is the 435-member House of Representatives.

In his first meeting as vice chairman of a subcommittee on education, Porter concluded the meeting as he always did in Carson City, by calling for public comment. Panel staffers leapt up to whisper in his ear.

"They quickly informed me that 'We don't ask for public comment in public meetings,' " Porter said, recalling the freshman moment. "I think we ought to change that, personally."