Harry Reid | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2009 | |
| Senate Majority Leader | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Whip | Dick Durbin |
| Preceded by | Bill Frist |
| Succeeded by | Mitch McConnell |
| Senate Minority Leader | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Whip | Dick Durbin |
| Preceded by | Mitch McConnell |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Schumer |
| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Whip | Dick Durbin |
| Preceded by | Tom Daschle |
| Succeeded by | Mitch McConnell |
| Senate Minority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2005 | |
| Leader | Tom Daschle |
| Preceded by | Don Nickles |
| Succeeded by | Dick Durbin |
| In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001 | |
| Leader | Tom Daschle |
| Preceded by | Don Nickles |
| Succeeded by | Don Nickles |
| In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Leader | Tom Daschle |
| Preceded by | Wendell Ford |
| Succeeded by | Don Nickles |
| Senate Majority Whip | |
| In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Leader | Tom Daschle |
| Preceded by | Don Nickles |
| Succeeded by | Mitch McConnell |
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001 | |
| Leader | Tom Daschle |
| Preceded by | Don Nickles |
| Succeeded by | Don Nickles |
| United States Senator fromNevada | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Laxalt |
| Succeeded by | Catherine Cortez Masto |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNevada's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | James Santini (at-large) |
| Succeeded by | James Bilbray |
| Chair of theNevada Gaming Commission | |
| In office March 27, 1977 – January 5, 1981 | |
| Appointed by | Mike O'Callaghan |
| Preceded by | Peter Echeverria |
| Succeeded by | Carl Dodge |
| 25thLieutenant Governor of Nevada | |
| In office January 4, 1971 – January 5, 1975 | |
| Governor | Mike O'Callaghan |
| Preceded by | Edward Fike |
| Succeeded by | Robert Rose |
| Member of theNevada Assembly from the 4th district | |
| In office January 6, 1969 – January 4, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Edward Fike |
| Succeeded by | Robert Rose |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Harry Mason Reid Jr. (1939-12-02)December 2, 1939 Searchlight, Nevada, U.S. |
| Died | December 28, 2021(2021-12-28) (aged 82) Henderson, Nevada, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5, includingRory |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Senate website (archived) |
Harry Mason Reid Jr. (/riːd/; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as aUnited States senator fromNevada from 1987 to 2017. He led theSenate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was theSenate Majority Leader from 2007 to 2015.
After earning an undergraduate degree fromUtah State University and aJuris Doctor degree fromGeorge Washington University, Reid began his public career as the city attorney forHenderson, Nevada, before being elected to theNevada Assembly in 1968. Gubernatorial candidateMike O'Callaghan, Reid's former boxing coach, chose Reid as his running mate in1970; following their victory Reid served as the 25thlieutenant governor of Nevada from 1971 to 1975. After being defeated in races for the United States Senate andmayor of Las Vegas, Reid served as chairman of theNevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981. From 1983 to 1987, Reid representedNevada's 1st district in theUnited States House of Representatives.
Reid was elected to the United States Senate in 1986 and served in the Senate from 1987 to 2017. He served as the Senate Democratic whip from 1999 to 2005 before succeedingTom Daschle as Senate Minority Leader. The Democrats won control of the Senate after the2006 United States Senate elections, and Reid became the Senate Majority Leader in 2007. He held that position for the final two years ofGeorge W. Bush's presidency and for the first six years ofBarack Obama's presidency. As majority leader, Reid helped pass major legislation of theObama administration, such as theAffordable Care Act, theDodd–Frank Act, and theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In 2013, under Reid's leadership, theSenate Democratic majority controversially invoked the "nuclear option" to eliminate the 60-vote requirement to end afilibuster forpresidential nominations, other than nominations to theU.S. Supreme Court.[1] Republicans took control of the Senate following the2014 United States Senate elections, and Reid served as Senate Minority Leader from 2015 until his retirement in 2017. Reid is Nevada's longest-serving senator, surpassingJohn P. Jones's record by two days.[2]
Reid was succeeded as the Senate Democratic leader byChuck Schumer, whose leadership bid had been endorsed by Reid. Along withAlben W. Barkley andMike Mansfield, Reid was one of only three senators to have served at least eight years as majority leader.Harry Reid International Airport, which serves theLas Vegas Valley, was named after Reid on December 14, 2021, two weeks before his death from cancer.[3] The airport was previously named afterPat McCarran, one of Reid's Senate predecessors.
Harry Mason Reid Jr. was born on December 2, 1939, inSearchlight, Nevada, the third of four sons of Harry Reid, a rock miner, and Inez Orena (Jaynes) Reid, a laundress for local brothels.[4][5] At that time, Searchlight was a small, impoverished town.[6][7] His father died by suicide in 1972, at the age of 58, when Harry was 32 years old.[8][9] His paternal grandmother was an English immigrant fromDarlaston, Staffordshire. Reid's boyhood home was a shack with no indoor toilet, hot water or telephone.[8][10]
Since Searchlight had no high school, Reid boarded with relatives 40 miles (64 km) away, inHenderson, so that he could attendBasic High School,[8] where he playedfootball and was anamateur boxer.[11] While at Basic High, he met future Nevada governorMike O'Callaghan, who was a teacher there and served as Reid's boxing coach. Reid attendedSouthern Utah University and graduated fromUtah State University in 1961, where he double-majored in political science and history.[12] He also minored in economics at Utah State'sSchool of Commerce and Business Administration.[13] He then attendedGeorge Washington University Law School while working as a police officer for theUnited States Capitol Police, and he earned hisJuris Doctor in 1964.[6]
Reid returned to Nevada after law school and served as Hendersoncity attorney[14][15] before being elected to theNevada Assembly for the multi-member fourth district ofClark County in 1968. In 1970, at age 30, Reid was chosen by O'Callaghan as hisrunning mate forLieutenant Governor of Nevada. Reid and O'Callaghan won their respective races, and Reid served as lieutenant governor from 1971 until 1974, when he ran for the U.S. Senate seat that was being vacated byAlan Bible. He lost by fewer than 700 votes to former governorPaul Laxalt. In 1975, Reid ran formayor of Las Vegas and lost toBill Briare.[16]
Reid served aschairman of theNevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981. WhenJack Gordon offered Reid a $12,000 bribe to get approval of new games for casinos, Reid brought in theFBI to tape Gordon's bribery attempt and arrest him. After FBI agents interrupted the transaction as prearranged, Reid lost his temper and attempted to choke Gordon, saying "You son of a bitch, you tried to bribe me!" before agents stopped him. Gordon was convicted in 1979 and sentenced to six months in prison. Reid presided over the 1979 hearing that refused to issue a gaming license to casino operatorFrank Rosenthal because of his ties to organized crime groups such as theChicago Outfit and particularly his close personal association with mobsterAnthony Spilotro. Reid later stated that "Rosenthal was the only person that I was ever afraid of."[17] Rosenthal loudly and publicly confronted Reid after the hearing, telling gathered reporters that he had performed many personal favors for Reid. Reid conceded under heated interrogation from Rosenthal that the two men had met for lunch at hisStardust Resort and Casino and that he had asked Rosenthal to cover up undesirable news stories.[18] FBI wiretaps captured mobsters claiming that Reid was under their control, causing governorRobert List to feel pressure to ask Reid to resign. However, List believed Reid's assertions that the accusations were baseless. In 1981, Reid's wife found abomb attached to the family station wagon;[7][19][20] Reid suspected it was placed by Rosenthal or Gordon, although this has never been proven in court.[8]
Before the1980 census, Nevada had only a single at-large member of theUnited 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 the1st district, based in Las Vegas, in 1982, and easily won the general election.[21] He was re-elected in1984.[22]
Reid was instrumental in the establishment ofGreat Basin National Park, sponsoring the bill creating it in 1986 and ensuring the protection ofWheeler Peak and groves ofbristlecone pine.[23]
In1986, Reid won the Democratic nomination for the seat of retiring two-term incumbent Republican SenatorPaul Laxalt. Reid defeated former at-large U.S. RepresentativeJim Santini, a Democrat who had turned Republican, in the November election. Reid ran for reelection in1992 which he won by a double-digit margin. In1998 he narrowly defeated U.S. RepresentativeJohn Ensign in the midst of a statewide Republican sweep. In2004, Reid won reelection with 61 percent of the vote, defeatingRichard Ziser.[24]
Ensign was elected to Nevada's other Senate seat in 2000. Ensign and Reid had a very good relationship despite their bitter contest in 1998. The two frequently worked together on Nevada issues until Ensign resigned his Senate seat in 2011 due to an ethics scandal.[25]
In 2010, Reid won the Democratic nomination with 75% of the vote in the June 8 primary. He then faced a very competitive race in the2010 general election. Reid engaged in a $1 million media campaign to "reintroduce himself" to the state's voters.[26] He defeated Republican challengerSharron Angle in the November 2 election, 50.3% to 44.6%.[27]
In January 2015, Reid suffered severe injuries in an exercise accident.[28] On March 27, 2015, Reid uploaded a video to hisYouTube account announcing that he would not seek reelection in November 2016. Reid endorsed SenatorChuck Schumer from New York to succeed him as Minority Leader.[29] Former Nevada Attorney General and fellow DemocratCatherine Cortez Masto was elected to succeed Reid as a U.S. senator from Nevada.[30]
On January 1, 2017, two days before the end of his term, Reid surpassed SenatorJohn P. Jones to become thelongest-servingU.S. Senator from Nevada.[31]
From 1999 to 2005, Reid served asSenate Democratic Whip, as minority whip from 1999 to 2001, and again from 2003 to 2005. Reid was majority whip from 2001 to 2003, except for a brief period from January to June 2001. He was the ranking member of theEnvironment and Public Works Committee in from January to June 2001 (succeedingMax Baucus) before relinquishing the position to allowJim Jeffords to switch parties and become chair, having given Democrats the majority.[32] From 2001 to 2003, he served as chairman of theSenate Ethics Committee. Reid succeededTom Daschle asMinority Leader in 2005; he becameMajority Leader after the 2006 election until 2015. He was again Minority Leader until his retirement in 2017 and was succeeded byChuck Schumer.[33]
Liberal critics argued that Reid allowedSenate Republicans to create a 60-vote bar for passage of bills without a Democraticfilibuster.[34][35][36] Conservatives criticized Reid for his extensive use of the procedural tactic known as "filling the tree" to prevent amendments on important bills.[37]
In 2007, while he was the Senate Majority Leader, Reid initiated theAdvanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program to study unidentified flying objects[38][39] at the urging of Reid's friend, Nevada billionaire and governmental contractorRobert Bigelow,[40] and with support from the late senatorsTed Stevens (R-Alaska) andDaniel Inouye (D-Hawaii). The program began in the DIA in 2007 and was budgeted $22 million over its five years of operation.[41][42][43]
TheUnited States Air Force facility Homey Airport, commonly known asArea 51, is located on Groom Lake in Reid's home state of Nevada, and has been rumored to house materials allegedly retrieved from the1947 Roswell UFO incident.[44]
When interviewed in the aftermath of publicity surrounding the AATIP, Reid expressed pride in his accomplishment, and was quoted as saying "I think it's one of the good things I did in my congressional service. I've done something that no one has done before."[41][43] Reid explained the reasoning behind his sponsorship of the program by saying "I'm interested in science, and in helping the American public understand what the hell is going on" and stated that "hundreds and hundreds of papers" have been available since the program was completed and that "Most all of it, 80 percent at least, is public" adding "I wanted it public, it was made public, and you guys have not even looked at it."[43]
A 2009 letter by Reid was published byKLAS-TV investigative journalistsGeorge Knapp and Matt Adams, where the Senator states that AATIP has made "much progress" with the "identification of several highly sensitive, unconventional aerospace-related findings" that will "likely lead to technology advancements" and recommends the creation of aspecial access program for specific parts of AATIP.[45]
On November 21, 2013, under Reid's tenure as Majority Leader, the Democratic majority Senate voted 52–48 to eliminate the 60-vote requirement to end a filibuster against all executive branch nominees and judicial nominees other than to theU.S. Supreme Court.[46] A 3/5 supermajority was still required to end filibusters unrelated to those nominees, such as for legislation and Supreme Court nominees.[47] The Democrats' stated motivation for the "nuclear option" was expansion of filibustering by Republicans during theObama administration, in particular blocking three nominations to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.[48]
Reid's invocation of the nuclear option on judicial nominations was controversial as, on April 6, 2017, Senate Republicans similarly invoked the nuclear option to remove theSupreme Court exception created in 2013, allowing theTrump administration to appoint Justices on party lines. This was after Senate Democrats filibustered thenomination of Neil Gorsuch to theSupreme Court of the United States and after the Senate Republicans had previously refused to take upMerrick Garland's nomination by President Obama in 2016.[49][50][51][52]
Reid was criticized during his tenure for several potentially self-enriching tactics. In 2005, Reid earmarked a spending bill to provide for building a bridge between Nevada andArizona that would make land he owned more valuable. Reid called funding for the construction of a bridge over theColorado River, among other projects, "incredibly good news for Nevada" in a news release after the passage of the 2006 transportation bill. He owned 160 acres (65 ha) of land several miles from the proposed bridge site in Arizona. The bridge could add value to his real estate investment.[53] 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 resided;[54] federal election law prohibits candidates from using political donations for personal use. Reid's staff stated that his campaign attorneys had approved this use of the funds, but that Reid would personally reimburse his campaign for the expenses.Citizens United filed a complaint with theFederal Election Commission to investigate the matter.[55]
A series of investigative reports in theLos Angeles Times[56][57][58] suggested that Reid had introduced legislation and imposed pressure on regulatory agencies to advance the business interests of his close friendHarvey Whittemore, a Nevada attorney-lobbyist who contributed heavily to Reid's campaigns and leadership fund and who employed Reid's son Leif as his personal attorney. 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.[59][60] Whittemore served a two-year prison sentence after being found guilty in 2013 of funneling $133,400 in illegal contributions to Reid's reelection campaign.[61]
Reid scored a lifetime conservative rating of 19% from theAmerican Conservative Union (ACU),[63] and a 2008 liberal rating of 70% from theAmericans for Democratic Action (ADA).[64] Other independent ratings include a 29% rating in 2003 from theabortion rightslobbyist organizationNARAL,[65] an 85% rating fromPlanned Parenthood in 2013,[66] and a "B" rating from theNRA Political Victory Fund.[67]
Reid spearheaded several initiatives while in Congress. In 2006, Reid co-sponsored the Prevention First Amendment withHillary Clinton, which would fund abortion prevention efforts such as giving women broader access to contraception. The bill faced Republican opposition and failed.[68] In January 2007, Reid brought a Senate ethics reform bill to a vote to bar congressional members from accepting gifts, meals, and trips fromlobbyists and organizations employing lobbyists, to bar Senators from borrowingcorporate jets for travel, and to compel Senators to disclose names of sponsors, or authors, of bills and projects. The bill passed 96–2.[69] In the111th Congress, Reid shepherded thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) through the Senate.[70]
Reid was initially a centrist Democrat, and he heldanti-abortion views and supportedgun rights and opposedillegal immigration.[71][72][73][74] He was considered fiscally liberal and socially conservative. He believed thatRoe v. Wade should be overturned, and in 1999, voted against an amendment that supportedRoe.[75][76] In 1998, he stated that he believed in a restricted right to abortion, stating that "abortions should be legal only when the pregnancy resulted fromincest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered".[77] He voted several times to ban theintact dilation and evacuation, or "partial-birth abortion" procedure.[78] Reid supported embryonicstem cell research.[79] Over time, Reid's views became moreprogressive.[80][81]
Regardingsame-sex marriage, Reid initially believed that "marriage should be between a man and a woman", but abandoned that position in favor of same-sex marriage in 2012.[82]
In regard to local issues, Reid firmly opposed construction of the proposedYucca Mountain federal nuclear waste repository in Nevada.[83] Reid initially opposed the legalization ofonline poker, but in 2010 it was reported his position had evolved – a move some argued was influenced by "hundreds of thousands of dollarsLas Vegas casinos contributed to hisre-election campaign".[84]
Reid called immigration reform one of his priorities at the 110th Congress. He supported theDREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), which would give certain high school graduates who had arrived in the U.S. illegally, conditional legal status so they could attend college or enlist in the military. They could then obtain permanent legal residency after completing two years of military service or two years of college.[85]
Reid supported use of force in the Middle East, but in September 2007, called for a drastic change in strategy.[86] In January 1991, Reid voted to authorize the firstGulf War,[87] quotingJohn F. Kennedy's 1963State of the Union speech on the Senate floor, saying "the mere absence of war is not peace."[88][89] He also voted in support of the 2003invasion of Iraq.[90][91] In March 2007, he voted in favor of "redeploying U.S. troops out of Iraq by March 2008",[91] and later that year, said, "As long as we follow [President Bush's] path in Iraq, the war is lost."[92]
Reid was a strong advocate of recognizing theArmenian genocide.[93]
Reid was a staunch defender ofObamacare both online and in speeches.[94] He advocated outlawingprostitution in Nevada.[95]
On May 15, 2013, Reid revealed to reporters that his niece is a lesbian as he spoke about his hope that theEmployment Non-Discrimination Act would be signed into law.[96]
Reid supported land conservation in Nevada.[97][98] He successfully secured the designation of about 5.1 million acres (21,000 km2) of U.S. federal land in Nevada as protected land, shielding them from development.[97] Among these were theTule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument,[99] theBasin and Range National Monument,[98] and theGold Butte National Monument.[97]
Reid was also the champion of the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, 1998 legislation that has redirected more than $4 billion in proceeds from the sale of public lands in Nevada to conservation initiatives, environmentally sensitive land acquisitions, new parks and trails, and capital projects for federal land management agencies.[100]
Reid was criticized as one of the main culprits for the failure of the2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, as theDemocrats' majority inCongress during that time had not been used to enact climate-protection legislation prior to the conference.[101]
In 2015, Reid received a lifetime achievement award from theLeague of Conservation Voters,[98] and the following year he was honored by the Conservation Lands Foundation for "historic contributions to conservation."[102]
During the summer of 2012, Reid said in an interview withThe Huffington Post that he had received information from an unidentified investor inBain Capital that presumptive Republican presidential nomineeMitt Romney did not pay any taxes for 10 years.[103] He repeated the accusation on the Senate floor on August 2, 2012.[104][105] According toCBS News, Romney stated, "Let me also say, categorically, I have paid taxes every year – and a lot of taxes. So Harry is simply wrong."PolitiFact.com's Truth-O-Meter rated the accusation as "Pants on Fire!"[106]The Washington Post's Fact Checker gave it "Four Pinnocchios".[107] CBS reported that Romney had submitted 23 years of tax returns to theJohn McCain campaign in 2008, when he was being vetted for the vice-presidential nomination. McCain said, "[n]othing in these tax returns showed that he did not pay taxes."[108] In a 2015 interview on the subject, Reid said "Romney didn't win, did he?" The following year, Reid called the attack "one of the best things I've ever done," while reiterating that Romney had not released his tax returns.[a][107] In 2021, Reid stated in an interview that after the 2012 election he and Mitt Romney and their wives met privately and reconciled, with Reid concluding that "I admire Mitt Romney. I think he's a very very fine human being."[109][110]
Part of Reid's confrontation withFrank Rosenthal while chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission is reenacted in the 1995 movieCasino.[111] Reid had a role in the movieTraffic (2000), in which he played himself.[112] He appeared, with SenatorsSam Brownback andBarack Obama, in the 2007documentary filmSand and Sorrow, which details thegenocide in Sudan.[113]
Reid was elected to theGaming Hall of Fame in 2001.[114] In 2013, adviserJim Margolis said of Reid, "He is unique in this city. And you see it in so many different ways. Is he the best TV talking head? No. He'd be the first to tell you that. Should he smile more? Yes. Should he say goodbye on the phone when he's done talking to you? Probably. But those are things you'd assume are part and parcel of a polished figure in Washington. That is not Harry Reid."[10]
Reid was known for his skills in political organizing andgetting out the vote, and his voter coalition known as the "Reid Machine" was credited with being the driving force behind several statewide Democratic wins, includingHillary Clinton in the2016 United States presidential election in Nevada andCatherine Cortez Masto's election to succeed Reid in theconcurrent Senate election.[115][116][117][118] A veteran of the Reid political machine,Megan K. Jones, has gone on to be a senior advisor to vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential candidateKamala Harris.[119]
Harry Reid (formerly McCarran) International Airport, which serves theLas Vegas Valley, was named after Senator Reid on December 14, 2021, just two weeks prior to his death.[3]
Reid met his wife, Landra Gould, in high school. Gould was from aJewish family and her parents objected to the relationship because Reid was not Jewish. The two eloped in 1959 when they were in college.[120] The Reids had five children; a daughter and four sons. Their eldest son,Rory, was an elected commissioner forClark County, Nevada, of which he became chairman, and 2010 Democratic nominee in the election forGovernor of Nevada.[121] Another son, Josh Reid, unsuccessfully sought municipal office inCottonwood Heights, Utah.[122] In 2014 financial disclosure reports, Reid reported a net worth of between $2.9 million and $9.3 million.[123] Most of Reid's net worth was inmunicipal securities and in land and mineral rights in southern Nevada and Arizona; ablind trust managed the liquid assets of Reid and his wife.[123]
Reid lived in theAnthem area ofHenderson, Nevada.[124] Reid (who was raisedagnostic) and his wife (who was born to Jewish immigrant parents and grew up in Henderson) converted tothe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while he was a college student.[8] In a 2001 interview he said, "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 considered Republican dogma to the contrary, is the reason he was a Democrat.[125] He delivered a speech atBrigham Young University to about 4,000 students on October 9, 2007, in which he expressed his opinion that Democratic values mirror Mormon values.[126][127] Several Republican Mormons inUtah contested his faith because of his politics, such as his statements that the church's backing ofCalifornia's Proposition 8 wasted resources.[128]
Reid was the co-chairman of the Board of Selectors ofJefferson Awards for Public Service.[129] In April 2015, Reidconfirmed former U.S. SenatorLarry Pressler as a member ofThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[130]
On January 1, 2015, Reid was injured while exercising in his home—he said a piece of equipment he was using broke (later "slipped"), causing him to fall. As a result, he suffered broken ribs and broken facial bones, and was at risk of permanent vision loss in his right eye.[131] On January 26, 2015, he underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from his right eye and repair facial bones.[132] He later sued a company he claimed manufactured the device, alleging the device was defective. In 2019, a jury rejected his claim for lack of evidence.[133][134]
On May 14, 2018, Reid had surgery forpancreatic cancer atJohns Hopkins Cancer Center after atumor was found on hispancreas during a routine screening.[135] In a January 2019 interview withThe New York Times, it was revealed that he was confined to a desk at his home and was unable to move without the aid of a walker.[136] Upon his diagnosis, he said: "As soon as you discover you have something on your pancreas, you're dead."[136] On February 25, 2019, he announced that due to early detection andchemotherapy, his cancer was in remission.[137]
Reid died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Henderson on December 28, 2021, at the age of 82.[138][139] Following the news of his death, PresidentJoe Biden and former presidentsBarack Obama andBill Clinton gave tributes to Reid.[140][141] Several of his former Senate colleagues also gave tributes, includingChuck Schumer,Patrick Leahy,Dick Durbin,Mitch McConnell,Chuck Grassley andMike Lee as well as Nevada GovernorSteve Sisolak.[142] Helay in state in theCapitol Rotunda on January 12, 2022.[143]
Funeral
Reid's funeral was broadcast live onCNN andMSNBC with tributes byPresident Joe Biden,Barack Obama,Nancy Pelosi,Chuck Schumer and performances byBrandon Flowers andCarole King. He was interred in his family plot in Searchlight.[144][145]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry Reid | 61,901 | 57.54% | ||
| Republican | Peggy Cavnar | 45,675 | 42.46% | ||
| Total votes | 107,576 | 100.0% | |||
| Democraticwin (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry Reid (incumbent) | 73,242 | 56.12% | ||
| Republican | Peggy Cavnar | 55,391 | 42.44% | ||
| Libertarian | Joe Morris | 1,885 | 1.44% | ||
| Total votes | 130,518 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry Reid | 130,955 | 50.00% | +12.61% | |
| Republican | Jim Santini | 116,606 | 44.52% | −14.01% | |
| None of These Candidates | 9,472 | 3.62% | +2.33% | ||
| Libertarian | Kent Cromwell | 4,899 | 1.87% | −0.94% | |
| Majority | 14,349 | 5.48% | −15.66% | ||
| Turnout | 261,932 | ||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry Reid (Incumbent) | 253,150 | 51.05% | +1.05% | |
| Republican | Demar Dahl | 199,413 | 40.21% | −4.30% | |
| None of These Candidates | 13,154 | 2.65% | −0.96% | ||
| Independent American | Joe S. Garcia | 11,240 | 2.27% | N/A | |
| Natural Law | Lois Avery | 7,279 | 1.47% | N/A | |
| Libertarian | Kent Cromwell | 7,222 | 1.46% | −0.41% | |
| Populist | Harry Tootle | 4,429 | 0.89% | N/A | |
| Majority | 53,737 | 10.84% | +5.36% | ||
| Turnout | 495,887 | ||||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry Reid (Incumbent) | 208,650 | 47.88% | −3.19% | |
| Republican | John Ensign | 208,222 | 47.78% | +7.56% | |
| Libertarian | Michael Cloud | 8,129 | 1.87% | +0.41% | |
| None of These Candidates | 8,113 | 1.86% | −0.79% | ||
| Natural Law | Michael E. Williams | 2,781 | 0.64% | −0.83% | |
| Majority | 401 | 0.09% | −10.74% | ||
| Turnout | 435,864 | ||||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry Reid (Incumbent) | 494,805 | 61.08% | +13.22% | |
| Republican | Richard Ziser | 284,640 | 35.14% | −12.63% | |
| None of These Candidates | 12,968 | 1.60% | −0.26% | ||
| Libertarian | Thomas L. Hurst | 9,559 | 1.18% | −0.69% | |
| Independent American Party (Nevada) | David K. Schumann | 6,001 | 0.74% | N/A | |
| Natural Law | Gary Marinch | 2,095 | 0.26% | −0.38% | |
| Majority | 210,165 | 25.94% | +25.85% | ||
| Turnout | 810,068 | ||||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry Reid (Incumbent) | 87,401 | 75.3% | |
| Democratic | None of these | 12,341 | 10.6% | |
| Democratic | Alex Miller | 9,717 | 8.4% | |
| Democratic | Eduardo Hamilton | 4,645 | 4.0% | |
| Democratic | Carlo Poliak | 1,938 | 1.7% | |
| Total votes | 116,042 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry Reid (Incumbent) | 362,785 | 50.29% | −10.84% | |
| Republican | Sharron Angle | 321,361 | 44.55% | +9.45% | |
| None of These Candidates | 16,174 | 2.25% | +0.65% | ||
| Tea Party of Nevada | Scott Ashjian | 5,811 | 0.81% | N/A | |
| Independent | Michael L. Haines | 4,261 | 0.59% | N/A | |
| Independent American | Timothy Fasano | 3,185 | 0.44% | N/A | |
| Independent | Jesse Holland | 3,175 | 0.44% | N/A | |
| Independent | Jeffery C. Reeves | 2,510 | 0.35% | N/A | |
| Independent | Wil Stand | 2,119 | 0.29% | N/A | |
| Majority | 41,424 | 5.74% | |||
| Total votes | 721,381 | 100.00% | −11.14% | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
...Robert Bigelow, the billionaire founder of an aerospace company. Bigelow has spoken about his belief in UFOs visiting the United States as well as the existence of aliens.
Reid has made an extreme claim with nothing solid to back it up. Pants on Fire!
Josh Reid, the senator's son, who ran unsuccessfully for a City Council seat in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.
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