Harry Reid
history
January 3, 2003
|leader3 = Tom Daschle (D)
|predecessor3 = Don Nickles (D)
|successor3 = Don Nickles (2001)
Mitch McConnell (2003)
|order4 = Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 1st district
|term_start4 = January 3, 1983
|term_end4 = January 3, 1987
|predecessor4 = James David Santini (At-large)
|successor4 = James Bilbray
|order5 = Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
|term_start5 = 1971
|term_end5 = 1975
|governor5 = Mike O'Callaghan
|predecessor5 = Edward Fike
|successor5 = Robert Rose
|order6 = Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission
|term_start6 = 1977
|term_end6 = 1981
|appointer6 = Mike O'Callaghan
|order7 = Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee
|term_start7 = June 6, 2001
|term_end7 = January 3, 2003
|predecessor7 = Pat Roberts
|successor7 = George Voinovich
|order8 = Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
|term_start8 = January 3, 2001
|term_end8 = January 20, 2001
|predecessor8 = Robert C. Smith
|successor8 = Robert C. Smith
|order9 = Member of the
Nevada State Assembly
|term_start9 = 1969
|term_end9 = 1970
|order0 = Henderson City Attorney
|term_start0 = 1964
|term_end0 = 1966
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Searchlight, Nevada
| death_date =
| death_place =
| residence = Searchlight, Nevada
| alma_mater = Southern Utah University (A.A.)
Utah State University (B.A.)
George Washington University (J.D.)
| party = Democratic
| spouse = Landra Gould
| children = 1 daughter
4 sons
| profession = Lawyer
| religion = The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
| signature = Harry Reid Signature.svg
| footnotes =
| website = »Official site
}}
Harry Mason Reid (born December 2, 1939) is the senior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1986, he was re-elected in 1992, 1998, and 2004, and is currently seeking a fifth term in 2010.
Reid has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader from 2005 until the Democrats won control of the Senate in the 2006 midterm elections. He earlier served as Senate Minority Whip (1999–2001, 2001, 2003–2005) and Senate Majority Whip (2001, 2001–2003).
Before his election to the Senate, Reid was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Nevada's 1st congressional district from 1983 to 1987. A native of Searchlight and graduate of Utah State University and George Washington University Law School, he previously served as city attorney of Henderson (1964–1966), a member of the Nevada Assembly (1969–1970), Lieutenant Governor of Nevada (1970–1974), and chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission (1977–1981).
Early life
Reid was born in Searchlight, Nevada, the son of Inez and Harry Reid, a miner in the camp 50 miles southeast of Las Vegas. He attended Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada, where he boarded in town and played football and was an amateur boxer.»http://www.adherents.com/largecom/lds_Reid.html While at Basic he met future Nevada governor Mike O'Callaghan, who was a teacher there. Reid attended Southern Utah University and Utah State University.
Reid graduated from George Washington University Law School with a J.D. while working for the United States Capitol Police. He returned to Nevada after law school and served as Henderson city attorney before being elected to the Nevada Assembly in 1968. In 1970, at age 30, Reid was chosen by O'Callaghan as his running mate for Lieutenant Governor of Nevada.
Nevada politics: 1966–1981
Reid and his mentor O'Callaghan won the race and Reid served as lieutenant governor until 1974, when he ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Alan Bible. He lost by fewer than 600 votes to former Governor Paul Laxalt. In 1975, Reid ran for mayor of Las Vegas and lost again, this time to Bill Briare.
Reid then served as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981, a post that subjected him to death threats. Jack Gordon also tried to bribe Reid. Reid allowed the FBI to tape Gordon's attempt to bribe him with $12,000. Reid lost his temper and attempted to choke Gordon, "You son of a bitch, you tried to bribe me!", and was pulled off by FBI agents. Gordon was convicted in United States district court in 1979 and sentence to six months in prison. In 1981, Reid's wife once found a bomb attached to one of their cars, a bomb Reid suspects was placed by Gordon.
U.S. Representative: 1983–1987
Prior to the 1980 Census, Nevada had only a single at-large member in the United States House of Representatives, but population growth in the 1970s resulted in the state picking up a second district. Reid won the Democratic nomination for the 1st district, based in Las Vegas, in 1982, and easily won the general election. He served two terms in the House, from 1983 to 1987.
U.S. Senator: since 1987
In 1986, Reid won the Democratic nomination for the seat of retiring two-term incumbent Paul Laxalt. He defeated former at-large Congressman Jim Santini, a Democrat who had turned Republican, in the November election. He coasted to reelection in 1992. However, he barely defeated 1st District Congressman John Ensign in 1998 in the midst of a statewide Republican sweep.
In 2004, Reid won reelection with 61 percent of the vote, gaining the endorsement of several Republicans.
Ensign was elected to Nevada's other Senate seat in 2000. He and Reid have a very good relationship, despite their bruising contest in 1998. The two frequently work together on Nevada issues.»http://reid.senate.gov/about/index.cfm
Leadership
From 1999 to 2005, Reid served as Senate Democratic Whip, as minority whip from 1999 to 2001 and again from 2003 to 2005, then as majority whip from 2001 to 2003 (except for a brief period from January–May 2001). From 2001 to 2003, he served as chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee.
Reid succeeded Tom Daschle as minority leader in 2005 and became majority leader after the 2006 elections. He was re-elected majority leader without opposition by the Democratic caucus on November 18, 2008, winning all 57 votes.
- Committee on Rules and Administration
- Select Committee on Intelligence (Ex officio)
While Reid is the front runner for the Democratic nomination, he faces a competitive general election against either of the front-running Republican candidates, Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian, for the 2010 Senate race in Nevada. Reid has engaged in a $1 million media campaign to "reintroduce himself" to Nevada's voters. As of March 2010, he trailed his potential Republican opponents by over ten percentage points in aggregate RealClearPolitics polling.»http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/nv/nevada_senate_tarkanian_vs_reid-1099.html»http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/nv/nevada_senate_lowden_vs_reid-1100.html»http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240504574585921173928460.html
shakes hands with Reid after signing the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 on March 30, 2009.]] Art Exhibit press conference.]] A method that some political scientists use for gauging ideology is to compare the annual ratings by the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) with the ratings by the American Conservative Union (ACU). Reid has scored a lifetime conservative rating of 19% from the ACU, and a 2008 liberal rating of 70% from the ADA. Other independent ratings include a 27% rating from NARAL in 2003,»http://www.ontheissues.org/social/Harry_Reid_Abortion.htm and a 57% rating from Planned Parenthood in 2006.
Reid has spearheaded several initiatives while in Congress. In 2006 Reid co-sponsored the "Prevention First Amendment" with Hillary Clinton, which would fund abortion prevention efforts, such as giving women broader access to contraception; however the bill faced Republican opposition and failed. In January 2007, Reid brought a Senate ethics reform bill to a vote to bar congressional members from accepting gifts, meals, and trips from lobbyists and organizations employing them, as well as barring Senators from borrowing corporate jets for travel and compelling them to disclose the names of sponsors, or authors, of bills and specific projects. The bill passed 96 to 2.
Regarding specific issues, Reid believes that Roe vs. Wade should be overturned and in 1999, he voted against an amendment that explicitly expressed support for Roe v. Wade. He has stated that he believes in a restricted right to abortion, stating that "abortions should be legal only when the pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered." He has also voted several times to ban the "intact dilation and evacuation" or "partial-birth abortion" procedure. Reid has voted against the Nelson-Hatch-Casey amendment in the Senate which proposed to ban federal funding of health care plans that cover abortion.»http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00369 Regarding same-sex marriage, Reid has stated he believes "...marriage should be between a man and a woman". He voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act but against the Federal Marriage Amendment. He is historically in favor of the death penalty, stem cell research and gun control. He also supports legislation for $15 billion in tax breaks for large oil companies, aiming to put the money toward renewable energy sources. In regard to local issues, Reid has firmly opposed the proposed Yucca Mountain federal nuclear waste repository in Nevada.»http://reid.senate.gov/issues/yucca.cfm
Reid called immigration reform one of his top priorities for the 110th Congress and supports the DREAM Act which would make it easier for young people who are not citizens of the United States but are permanent residents to attend college or university in the United States. He also opposed a Constitutional amendment to make English the national language of the United States. In June 2009, Reid announced his intention to enact a new guest worker program as part of a comprehensive immigration reform bill.
Reid has supported the use of force in the Middle East but has called for a drastic change in strategy. In January 1991 he voted to authorize military force in Iraq to liberate Kuwait,»"Slim Senate Majority Is Expected But House Backing Appears Solid". The New York Times. January 12, 1991. quoting John F. Kennedy's 1963 State of the Union speech on the Senate floor, saying "the mere absence of war is not Peace." The quote in question can be seen via [http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22harry+reid%22+%22the+mere+absence+of+war+is+not+Peace%22&btnG=Search+Archives&hl=en&um=1&scoring=t a Google News archive search]. He also voted in support of the 2003 invasion of Iraq,»USATODAY.com - Bush gains more support for Iraq war resolution[http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Harry_Reid.htm#War_+_Peace OnTheIssues.org] and in March 2007 he voted in favor of "redeploying US troops out of Iraq by March 2008". Later that year, however, he said, "As long as we follow »Bush's path in Iraq, the war is lost."»Government Access Website
Over the years Reid has been the subject of several criticisms from both sides of the political aisle. Liberal critics argue that Reid is not doing enough to end the American military presence in Iraq,»The Boston Globe "Congress Returns Ready for Confrontation" and that he allowed Senate Republicans to create a 60-vote bar for passage of bills without actually a Democratic fillibuster.»Democratic retreat on Iraq? - First Read - msnbc.com»CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - House approves terror surveillance bill « - Blogs from CNN.com»Your Harry Reid-led Senate in action - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com
Reid has also been criticized for several potentially self-enriching tactics. In 2005 Reid earmarked a spending bill to provide for building a bridge between Nevada and Arizona that would make land he owned more valuable. Reid called funding for construction of a bridge over the Colorado River, among other projects, 'incredibly good news for Nevada' in a news release after passage of the 2005 transportation bill. He owned of land several miles from the proposed bridge site in Arizona. The bridge could add value to his real estate investment.[http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-earmarks13nov13,0,6626376,full.story?coll=la-home-headlines Will the Pork stop here? Los Angeles Times Newspaper] A year later it was reported that Reid had used campaign donations to pay for $3,300 in Christmas gifts to the staff at the condominium where he resides »USA Today; federal election law prohibits candidates from using political donations for personal use. Reid's staff stated that his attorneys had approved use of the funds in this manner but that he nonetheless would personally reimburse his campaign for the expenses. That action notwithstanding, the conservative group Citizens United announced it had filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission to investigate the matter.»Hill News
A series of investigative reports in the Los Angeles Times suggested that Reid had introduced legislation and imposed pressure on regulatory agencies to advance the business interests of his close friend Harvey Whittemore, a Nevada attorney-lobbyist who contributed heavily to Reid's campaigns and leadership fund and whose personal attorney was Reid's son Leif. With Reid's help, Whittemore was able to proceed with construction of a $30 billion planned golf course development, Coyote Springs, a project heavily criticized by environmental groups for reasons including its projected effects on several endangered species.
In 2006, Reid was also brought under question as to his possible involvement in the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal, in that he purportedly "received more than $50,000 from four tribes with gaming interests between 2001 and 2004 after they hired Abramoff,"»reviewjournal.com - News - Tribes gave to Reid after hiring Abramoff which would have introduced a conflict of interest. However, the Senate Ethics Committee never accused Reid of violating Senate ethics rules.»Politicians caught in the rush to return donation
While Reid identifies as pro-life, he has drawn criticism from the movement for his opposition to including Stupak amendment-like restrictions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Reid apologized on January 9, 2010, for racially charged comments he had made when President Obama was campaigning for president. In private conversations, Reid had remarked that Obama could win the Presidency because the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama -- who he referred to as being "light-skinned" and "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one". These comments had been recently revealed by journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann in Game Change, their book about the 2008 election. In addition to his public apology, Reid called President Obama to apologize; Obama accepted his apology, stating that as far as he was concerned, the book was closed on the incident.Cillizza, Chris, »"Majority Leader Reid apologizes to Obama for 2008 remarks", The Washington Post, January 9, 2010Jackson, David, »"Harry Reid taking heat for Obama remarks", USA Today, January 10, 2010Schwandt, Kimberly, »"Reid apologizes for “no Negro dialect” comment about Barack Obama from 2008 election", Fox News, January 9, 2010 RNC Chairman Michael Steele and Senators John Cornyn and Jon Kyl called on Reid to resign his leadership position in the Senate citing Majority Leader Trent Lott resigning because of a statement relating to race. However, this has virtually no chance of happening according to multiple experts. DNC Chairman Tim Kaine and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Jack Reed expressed support for Reid and confidence he would retain his leadership position, and another senior Democrat indicated Reid has "produced supportive statements from key African American leaders in the Congress and civil rights community".»http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/01/10/reid-mounted-aggressive-campaign-minimize-obama-negro-comment/
Cultural and political image
in Denver, Colorado.]]
Part of Harry Reid's confrontation with Frank Rosenthal while chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission is reenacted in the 1995 movie Casino. Reid had a role in the movie Traffic (2000), in which he played himself.[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181865/fullcredits#cast Traffic (2000) - Full cast and crew] He appeared along with Senators Sam Brownback and Barack Obama in the 2007 documentary film Sand and Sorrow, which details the genocide in Sudan.»Sand and Sorrow (2007)
Reid was elected to the Gaming Hall of Fame in 2001.
National opinion polls have shown Senate Majority Leader Reid's job approval to be low or unfavorable.»Pollingreport - Political Figures: R»Rasmussen Reports An October 2007 Las Vegas Review-Journal favorability poll indicated 51 percent of Nevadans view Reid unfavorably, with 32 percent indicating favorability.»ReviewJournal.com - News - Poll: Reid's popularity falls among Nevadans A December 2007 Las Vegas Review-Journal job approval poll showed 42 percent of Nevadans rating Reid "poor," 41 percent "excellent or good," and 16 percent "only fair."»Reid's ratings mixed in poll A November 2009 Rasmussen poll, showed that 25% of polled voters have a favorable opinion of Reid, while 47% view him unfavorably.»http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/congressional_favorability_ratings
Family and personal life
In 1959, Reid married his high school sweetheart, Landra Gould. They have five children, a daughter and four sons. Their eldest son, Rory Reid, is an elected Commissioner for Clark County, Nevada, and another son recently ran for municipal office in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.
On March 11, 2010, Landra Reid and their daughter were rear-ended by a tractor-trailer. Mrs. Reid suffered a broken nose, broken neck, and broken back, and her daughter suffered a neck injury and facial lacerations. The driver of the tractor-trailer, who was not injured, was charged with reckless driving.Strickland, Ken (March 11, 2010), »"Crash leaves Reid's wife with broken neck, back", msnbc.com, Retrieved March 11, 2010
Reid is a first generation member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Reid and his wife, who was born to Jewish immigrant parents and grew up in Henderson, converted to Mormonism while Reid was a college student. He stated in an interview with Brigham Young University's Daily Universe that "I think it is much easier to be a good member of the Church and a Democrat than a good member of the Church and a Republican." He went on to say that the Democrats' emphasis on helping others, as opposed to what he considers Republican dogma to the contrary, is the reason he's a Democrat. He delivered a speech at BYU to about 20,000 students on October 9, 2007, in which he expressed his opinion that Democratic values mirror Mormon values.
- »Senator Harry Reid official U.S. Senate website
- »Senator Harry Reid official campaign website
- »New York Times ongoing collection of news and commentary related to Reid
- »The New Republic: 'Tough Reid: Is The Majority Leader A Partisan Or A Pushover?'