The Senate will postpone until Wednesday votes on an overhaul of electronic surveillance law for lawmakers who want to attend Tuesday’s funeral of former North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday.

Helms died July 4. He was 86. His funeral is set for 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh, where crowds gathered Monday to pay their last respects to the conservative Republican.

Reid said he would work with Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to reach an agreement allowing senators to wrap up debate Tuesday on the legislation but to delay votes until Wednesday.

McConnell, R-Ky., who will deliver a eulogy at Helms’ funeral, said “a significant number” of GOP senators were planning to travel to Raleigh to pay their last respects.

Senate Republicans meanwhile put off until Wednesday their weekly all-conference lunches. The lunch is usually held on Tuesdays.

Democrats are not planning to postpone their Tuesday caucus lunch, but Reid said Democratic leaders will work with Republicans to make sure Wednesday’s votes and floor activity will not conflict with the rescheduled GOP lunch.

Helms, who retired in 2002 after five terms in the Senate, earned the nickname “Senator No” for his willingness to block treaties and other executive branch goals over the years.

But his combative political tactics belied a friendly demeanor: Helms was widely regarded as one of the chamber’s friendliest senators by Democratic and Republican colleagues and congressional staff.

“If you took a poll around here — of the pages and the people who worked in the Capitol — of who was the most popular senator, I suspect Sen. Helms would have won it,” McConnell said.

First posted July 7, 2008 2:04 p.m.