Wednesday, June 4, 2008 | 6:57 p.m.
WASHINGTON — This is how small-town Nevada is:
One of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s sons has just bought the Henderson home next door to Republican Rep. Jon Porter — the politician Reid tried to oust in 2006 and who is often-mentioned as a Reid challenger in 2010.
This might redefine “Neighborhood Watch.”
Reid and Porter joked about the turn of events during a Wednesday press briefing with Nevada reporters . Reid seemed to have the most fun.
“The real story is this,” Reid interjected at the briefing. “As of Monday, Jon Porter has a new neighbor right next door to him. His name is Josh Reid.”
Josh is one of Reid’s five children, an attorney, who just relocated with his family from Utah.
“So in the future, if you want to go visit Josh,” Reid continued, “you look over the fence at Jon.”
Oh dear.
Porter noted that Josh’s house is the one with the pool, and Reid added that the congressman invited himself over for swims.
How high is the fence, I asked.
“Obviously not high enough,” cracked Rep. Shelley Berkley, a Democrat.
Porter offered that the two neighbors can reach across the fence to “share food, and we can share the pool.”
Reid said, “Jon doesn’t have to scale the fence. He can knock on the door.”
It gets better. Josh, it turns out, is the son who named his own child after his dad.
“We have a Harry Reid that lives next door,” Porter deadpanned.
It wasn’t the first time the arrangement came up in a public setting. A month or so ago, at a similar delegation press briefing, Reid told Porter his son was considering a house on the street, and asked about property values.
Porter lives in a ranch-style home in the community. No word yet on Josh's model.
Said Porter’s spokesman: “The congressman welcomes the Reid family to the neighborhood.”
Think there will be pool parties in 2010?
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