Schweitzer was in Las Vegas for an energy conference and, he said, to spend some time at the gambling tables. In between, he spent a few minutes talking about next year's gubernatorial race, where he believes Democrats have an excellent chance whether the Republican nominee is embattled Gov. Jim Gibbons or not.

Schweitzer said that Gibbons' marital problems will hurt him politically -- "It's tough for all of Nevada to watch a daytime soap opera unfolding" -- while his management of the state's economy won't help.

The Montana governor drew a contrast with his state, where he said his administration has cut taxes and increased funding for K-12 and higher education; the state is running a budget surplus, and unemployment is under 6 percent.

"Compare that to the management of Nevada," he said. "The wheels have come off the bus, and people recognize that."

Gibbons' low approval ratings and many liabilities have led many analysts and at least two Republican challengers to conclude that he would have trouble winning next year's general election. But the governors association clearly has been doing its homework on former state Sen. Joe Heck and North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon as potential GOP nominees, too, and Schweitzer said he is not worried about who his team ends up playing against.

Heck, a physician, is vulnerable to being tied to people's dissatisfactions with the health care system, while Montandon would be attacked for what Schweitzer termed "untidy" relationships with developers.

Schweitzer professed to be pleased with both of the Democrats currently thought to be likely to enter the race, Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid and Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley. But he admitted he has a relationship with the Reid family and would support Reid over Buckley in the primary, despite the association's general policy of primary neutrality.

"Full disclosure: I met with Rory; I am not meeting with the other candidate," he said. Reid's father, the Senate majority leader, has been a political mentor to Schweitzer for more than a decade

The group, which has enjoyed record fundraising under Schweitzer's leadership, put about $600,000 into the 2006 race between Gibbons and Democrat Dina Titus, far below the amount its Republican counterpart spent. In 2010, "I would expect us to double or triple" 2006's spending, he said. "We're going to invest what it takes to win. We're going to win here."

The group plans to have $50 million to spend on the 36 gubernatorial races in 2010.

NOT DEAD YET

In what many observers are seeing as the start of a re-election campaign, Gibbons is mounting an aggressive push to get his message out as the Legislature moves into its final weeks.

Gibbons held a news conference Thursday to once again rail against legislators' plans to raise taxes. On Friday, he took the same show to Henderson. And in the coming weeks, he plans to go on tour.

Gibbons has stops planned in Minden, the Lake Tahoe area, Fallon, Eureka, Ely, Elko and Winnemucca from Wednesday to May 21 for what he's calling the Nevada's Road to Recovery Tour. The Nevada Republican Party sent an e-mail to its members with the tour schedule.

"Many legislators plan to raise your taxes to pay for more government rather than live within their means," Gibbons says in the e-mail. "I believe state government cannot ask more from citizens who have less. Higher taxes will kill jobs and will kill Nevada's chance at a speedy economic recovery. If you agree with me, please plan to attend one of my 'Road To Recovery' community meetings."

Attendees are advised to bring a brown bag lunch or snack.

REID REFLECTS

"I am not a pacifist," Sen. Harry Reid wrote as the opening sentence in his memoir. It is not a surprising comment to people who have followed his long career.

Students of the Senate majority leader were further enlightened on what makes the man tick at a forum Friday where Reid talked about how he was shaped by his hardscrabble youth in Searchlight.

At a breakfast organized by National Journal, Reid agreed to be interviewed by journalist Ron Brownstein.

In one segment of their conversation, Brownstein delved into Reid's autobiography (which, by the way, comes out in paperback next week) and Reid's description of his father. Harry Reid the elder was a struggling miner who, his son wrote, "understood physical strength."

"That was the world I was raised in," Reid wrote. His father "judged people by what they could do physically and he taught me to do the same." Reid was a brawling youth who channeled his energy into boxing and later into the law and politics.

Does that lesson still apply to how you practice politics? Brownstein asked. Does strength still impress you?

In a word, yes.

"I still think of myself as being that same tough guy I was many years ago, and I think it is helpful," Reid said. "I was never afraid of anybody physically. Even though I know there are a lot of people smarter than I am, I am not really afraid of anybody intellectually. I think it has had a bearing on what I do."

Reid said he respects senators who take tough votes, for instance, and insisted he has no use for polls.

And Reid noted that one of his earliest memories of Mike O'Callaghan, who ended up playing a big role in his life, was when O'Callaghan, as a new teacher in Reid's high school, clobbered the school bully. O'Callaghan, who later became Nevada governor, was Reid's mentor and, Reid said, taught him to look out for the little guy.

"He set a tremendous example," Reid said of O'Callaghan, who died in 2004. "I learned a lot from him."

EXPLORATIONS

Jack Schofield, a member of the university system Board of Regents, has a Web site touting him as a 2010 congressional candidate.

The site, www.jack2010.com, touts a lifetime of experience for Schofield, 86, who was a fighter pilot in World War II. But it doesn't say what seat in Congress he's interested in.

Reached for comment, Schofield said the campaign is in the "making preparations" stage. A Democrat, he said he would run for the only Nevada congressional seat currently held by a Republican, the 2nd District, represented by Dean Heller.

Schofield doesn't live in the 2nd District -- he lives in Democrat Shelley Berkley's 1st District -- but that's not a requirement. Another Democrat, Douglas County School Board President Cindy Trigg, has already announced a challenge to Heller.

Schofield served in the state Assembly and Senate in the 1970s. He is in his second term as a regent.

Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault contributed to this report. Contact reporter Molly Ball at mball@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.