Former Senator Harry Reid dies at 82

Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the astir almighty Nevadan who served successful national bureau and the longest-serving U.S. legislator successful authorities history, died Tuesday.

He was 82.

Reid’s woman of 62 years, Landra Reid, issued a connection precocious Tuesday announcing his death.

“I americium heartbroken to denote the passing of my husband, erstwhile Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He died peacefully this afternoon, surrounded by our family, pursuing a courageous, four-year conflict with pancreatic cancer,” she said.

“We are truthful arrogant of the bequest helium leaves down some connected the nationalist signifier and his beloved Nevada.”

Reid underwent country astatine Johns Hopkins Cancer Center successful Baltimore successful May 2018 to region a tumor from his pancreas, according to the family. He underwent chemotherapy pursuing the palmy removal of the tumor. Reid said successful 2020 that the crab was successful remission.

Following his treatments, Reid again was a behind-the-scenes unit successful the state’s Democratic Party. After the 2020 statesmanlike caucuses, Reid’s declaration that the authorities should displacement to a superior opened a floodgate of different officials joining that call.

The 2021 Legislature yet passed Assembly Bill 126, which not lone switched Nevada from a caucus authorities to a superior state, but besides fulfilled different longtime Reid goal, moving up of Iowa and New Hampshire arsenic the archetypal authorities to ballot for president successful the nation.

He was rewarded successful February 2021 for his work to Nevada by the Clark County Commission, which took the archetypal measurement successful honoring him by rechristening the Las Vegas airport, antecedently named aft the late-Sen. Pat McCarran, the Harry Reid International Airport.

“It is with humility that I explicit my appreciation for the designation today,” Reid said of the honor.

Most notably, Reid arsenic Senate bulk person enlisted then-President Barack Obama to shelve the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository. Reid eliminated backing for the arguable task that Congress approved successful 1987.

A taciturn fig with a pugnacious demeanor, Reid symbolized the hardscrabble authorities of his birth.

Harry Reid with Gerald Ford successful this undated photo. (File Photo)

Reid was calved connected Dec. 2, 1939, successful Searchlight and grew up successful the sunbaked godforsaken town, astir 60 miles southbound of Las Vegas, the lad of a miner who killed himself. The municipality had 13 brothels, golden mines and thing other erstwhile Reid grew up.

His parent washed laundry astatine 1 of the brothels that had a excavation wherever Reid learned however to swim.

“I deliberation everyone should turn up successful a municipality with brothels,” Reid joked during an interrogation with the Las Vegas Review-Journal successful his Capitol bureau earlier leaving successful 2016.

During his tenure, Reid had advocated outlawing prostitution successful Nevada, which inactive exists legally successful little populous counties successful the state.

Attending precocious schoolhouse successful Henderson, Reid met Mike O’Callaghan, a Korean War vet and aboriginal governor. O’Callaghan served arsenic a mentor to Reid, and would aboriginal play a cardinal relation astatine assorted points successful his vocation and governmental life.

O’Callaghan coached Reid and taught him to box, a accomplishment that led Reid to go an amateur boxer.

Following precocious school, Reid attended and graduated from Utah State University.

Reid went to Washington and served arsenic a Capitol Hill constabulary serviceman portion attending George Washington University Law School astatine night, a clip successful his beingness helium aboriginal recalled arsenic being a grind. Upon graduation, helium returned to Nevada and practiced law, serving arsenic the metropolis lawyer of Henderson portion moving for the steadfast of Singleton, DeLanoy and Jemison.

“I would instrumentality cases nary 1 other would take,” Reid recalled successful a 2017 interrogation with the UNLV Law magazine.

He represented a cocktail waitress charged with penning atrocious checks, and called a firm serviceman for the market store concatenation accusing her to the witnesser stand. He represented a pistillate misdiagnosed and disregarded by a bid of doctors. And, helium recalled with immoderate pride, helium sued an flat analyzable aft it had evicted his client, who worked arsenic a prostitute.

He won each of those cases.

Political career

Reid started his governmental vocation by winning predetermination to the Nevada Assembly successful 1968, alongside different Nevadan destined to go famous, Richard Bryan. Together, they became known arsenic the “gold particulate twins.”

From there, Reid was tapped to tally for lieutenant politician by O’Callaghan, who was moving for politician successful 1970. Reid served 1 word successful that bureau earlier deciding to equine a run for U.S. Senate, a determination that proved disastrous and astir ended his governmental career.

Reid was vying against fashionable Paul Laxalt to regenerate Alan Bible successful the Senate, and aft a spirited campaign, helium mislaid by less than 700 votes. Suddenly retired of governmental office, and trying to resurrect his governmental career, Reid turned astir and instantly ran for Las Vegas politician successful the off-year predetermination of 1975, losing again to Bill Briare.

He took a interruption from authorities aft the treble losses, and whitethorn ne'er person returned. But O’Callaghan intervened successful his beingness erstwhile again, appointing him arsenic president of the Nevada Gaming Commission.

While president of the Gaming Commission, Reid worked with the FBI connected a sting cognition that captured businessman Jack Gordon trying to bribe Reid with $12,000 to o.k. caller casino games. Reid launched himself crossed his table and tried to strangle Gordon. “You lad of a bitch, you tried to bribe me,” Reid said, knowing helium was being recorded by the FBI.

Reid, successful a memoir, said his woman aboriginal recovered a ligament successful the household presumption wagon that was rigged to detonate the state tank. He blamed Gordon.

Director Martin Scorsese included a gaming commissioner quality successful his movie “Casino” that was inspired by a composite of people, including Reid, and played by Dick Smothers.

In 1982, Reid easy won a recently created legislature spot based successful Las Vegas, and headed backmost to Washington. He was re-elected successful 1984.

But successful 1986, Reid erstwhile again sought the U.S. Senate spot helium had tried to triumph successful 1974, aft Laxalt chose to retire. He battled ex-Congressman Jim Santini, a Democrat who had re-registered arsenic a Republican, and won by a comfy margin.

In 1992, Reid won the Democratic superior against a tract of 5 candidates, 1 of whom was moving nether the sanction “God Almighty.” But the almighty would beryllium not to beryllium his toughest opponent.

Near-political-death experience

That came six years later, successful a contention that erstwhile again astir ended Reid’s governmental career. He faced disconnected with Congressman John Ensign successful a bitter contention that was decided by conscionable 401 votes statewide retired of a full of astir 436,000 cast.

It was the adjacent telephone with Ensign that prompted Reid to instrumentality a nonstop manus successful moving the Nevada Democratic Party, seeding the cognition with handpicked operatives to guarantee that the enactment would beryllium an plus to his re-elections. This was the genesis of what came to beryllium known arsenic the “Reid machine,” a web of operatives successful the authorities and beyond that excelled astatine elector registration and turnout.

Reid besides made friends with Ensign pursuing his adjacent governmental death, and erstwhile Ensign won predetermination to the Senate spot of the retiring Richard Bryan successful 2000, the 2 forged a “non-aggression PAC” that saw Reid springiness scant enactment to the Democratic nominee, lawyer Ed Bernstein. Reid and Ensign remained friends passim their clip successful the Senate.

Despite his adjacent telephone successful 1998, Reid lone drew a token hostile successful 2004 successful the idiosyncratic of Richard Ziser, a blimpish activistic champion known for passing the anti-gay matrimony law amendment successful 2000 and 2002.

Reid aboriginal remarked it was the lone contention successful which helium ne'er met his hostile connected the run trail, astatine a statement oregon astatine a campaigner forum. Ziser proved to beryllium an ineffective candidate, adjacent losing to “none of these candidates” successful 7 agrarian counties successful the GOP primary. Reid easy won the wide predetermination with 61 percent of the vote.

Rising successful leadership

But Reid’s casual thrust successful 2004 was belied by Democratic authorities successful Washington: the Democratic number person successful the Senate, Tom Daschle of South Dakota, was defeated by Rep. John Thune. That thrust Reid — past the number whip, known for carrying a paper successful his overgarment pouch connected which he’d inscribe the needs of caucus members — into the enactment of Senate Democrats.

As leader, Reid aboriginal said, helium had 2 constituencies, his Nevada voters and his Democratic senators. It was his attraction to the second (and efforts connected their behalf) that would gain him the ire of Republicans nationally and astatine home.

Reid’s outrageous luck drew slings and arrows. Conservative vigor big Rush Limbaugh dubbed him “Dingy Harry” due to the fact that of his low-profile style. In Nevada, a communal refrain was that Reid had “changed” erstwhile helium became the astir almighty Nevadan ever elected to national office.

That attraction and the publicity that attended it made Reid the astir susceptible Senate incumbent successful his 2010 re-election, and a tempting Republican target. But the Reid instrumentality was firing connected each cylinders that year.

First, Reid worked hard to prime his opponent. Fearing the telegenic hotelier Sue Lowden, a erstwhile KLAS-TV, Channel 8 quality anchor, Reid’s run pounced connected an unforced error. Lowden allowed connected the way that successful days past, radical would barter with doctors for wellness care, trading services oregon goods for treatment.

With the wellness attraction statement raging (Reid had been instrumental successful passing Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act successful 2011), Lowden was denounced arsenic advocating “chickens for checkups.” A Democratic staffer brought a unrecorded goat to a Lowden run office, asking wherever she could get aesculapian help. Lowden stubbornly refused to defuse the issue, and ended up losing the Republican superior to Republican erstwhile Assemblywoman Sharron Angle.

Former President Bill Clinton, left, shares a laughter and a hug with U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., during a run rally for Reid astatine Valley High School successful Las Vegas successful October 2010. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Republicans for Reid

Angle was a back-bencher successful the Assembly, often casting votes astatine likelihood with the full assemblage (it was an result known arsenic 41-t0-Angle among insiders).

She had a penchant for blurting retired ready-made run attacks, telling a vigor interviewer that “Second Amendment remedies” mightiness beryllium indispensable to get the state backmost connected track, oregon comparing herself to Moses, St. Paul and Jesus Christ successful another.

Angle told a people of Hispanic students that “some of you look a small spot Asian to me” and aired an disfigured advertisement depicting Hispanic toughs crossing the border. She virtually ran distant from reporters trying to inquire her questions, and erstwhile deployed a decoy to distract reporters portion she scurried distant from an event.

At their 1 debate, connected KLVX-TV, Channel 10, Angle deed her high-water mark, dropping the enactment “man up, Harry Reid.” Reid, nonplussed, continued the statement arsenic though it was a mean exchange.

What was not mean was the information that Reid’s eldest son, Rory, was moving for politician connected the aforesaid ballot. (Reid had indicated helium whitethorn retire, but decided against it, aft Rory Reid was the de facto Democratic nominee.) Given the enactment of the 2 Reids, galore voters opted to spell with Harry Reid, who contempt his antagonistic estimation astatine slightest had his enactment spot, invaluable to a tiny authorities specified arsenic Nevada. Republican adman Sig Rogich adjacent formed a group, “Republicans for Reid,” that urged voters of each parties not to springiness up Reid’s Washington influence.

Although astir nationalist polls, including those commissioned by the Review-Journal, had Angle winning by astir 2 percent points, Reid’s interior pollster, Mark Mellman, saw it differently. A Reid operative told a newsman connected inheritance 3 weeks earlier the predetermination that Reid would triumph by 6 percent points. His last borderline of victory: 5.6 points.

President Barack Obama embraces U.S. Senator Harry Reid, D-Nev., during a rally astatine Orr Middle School successful Las Vegas successful October 2010. (File Photo)

Three things

Reid volition beryllium astir remembered successful his Senate vocation for 3 things: stealing the bulk done a recruitment, passing the Affordable Care Act by the thinnest of margins, and exercising the “nuclear option” of modifying the Senate’s infamous filibuster rule.

After the 2000 elections, the Senate was divided evenly betwixt Republicans and Democrats, with then-Vice President Dick Cheney capable to interruption necktie votes successful his relation arsenic president of the Senate.

But Reid, past the number whip, began seeking retired imaginable party-switchers, immoderate 1 of whom would propulsion power of the enclosure to the Democrats. He courted Jim Jeffords openly connected the Senate floor, and offered a prize that appealed to Jeffords: the chairmanship of the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, which Reid was successful enactment to person if Democrats took over. (Jeffords astatine the clip was president of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, a station helium would suffer by stepping distant from the Republicans.)

In May 2001, Jeffords announced helium was switching his registration from Republican to autarkic and would caucus with the Democrats for organizational purposes. The determination enactment Daschle successful complaint arsenic bulk leader, elevated Reid to bulk whip and enactment an obstacle successful beforehand of recently elected President George W. Bush.

It was a large coup for Democrats, the archetypal clip enactment power of the Senate had switched due to the fact that of a defection alternatively than an election. The power was lone temporary, however. Republicans regained the Senate successful 2002.

Reid’s mastery of the process was ne'er much connected show than aft Obama won the White House successful 2008, and decided to prosecute his No. 1 precedence — wellness care, successful the signifier of the Affordable Care Act. The measurement was unpopular with Republicans from the start, and they threatened to filibuster immoderate effort to walk that measure that contained a mandate to acquisition wellness insurance.

Reid, who had ascended to the bulk leader’s post, had to scrape for each Democratic ballot helium could muster, but was 2 votes shy of the 60 needed to extremity the filibuster and proceed to a vote. He got 1 aft the agelong recount successful the 2008 Minnesota Senate predetermination was decided for Al Franken and different erstwhile longtime Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switched parties to go a Democrat successful 2009, up of an expected pugnacious re-election successful 2010.

The Senate passed the Affordable Care Act successful December 2009, with the bare 60 votes needed. But the aboriginal of the enactment was thrown into uncertainty erstwhile Scott Brown won a peculiar predetermination successful Massachusetts to regenerate the precocious Sen. Ted Kennedy, who had voted for the act.

With conscionable 59 votes, Reid knew helium couldn’t flooded different filibuster. In fact, Brown had campaigned successful Massachusetts — a authorities that already had a wellness attraction mandate — arsenic the 41st Republican ballot against the Affordable Care Act.

Instead the House passed the Senate’s measure without changes, truthful an amended measure would not person to instrumentality to the Senate astatine all, portion budget-related changes were made successful different measure not taxable to filibuster. The high-wire enactment and lengthy negotiations Reid oversaw, betwixt Democrats and Republicans, resulted successful the astir important alteration to wellness attraction instrumentality since the transition of Medicare successful 1966.

Going nuclear

In Obama’s 2nd term, Reid struggled against the Republican minority’s filibusters of judicial nominations, astatine 1 constituent producing a illustration showing much filibusters successful his Senate than successful immoderate erstwhile bulk leader’s tenure. Although immoderate called for doing distant with the filibuster altogether, Reid charted a much blimpish course.

In October 2013, helium changed the rules to let support of U.S. District Court judges, appellate tribunal judges and medication appointees with a elemental majority. He specifically excluded U.S. Supreme Court nominees from the change, though Republicans would aboriginal mention Reid’s precedent successful 2018 erstwhile they lowered the barroom to a elemental bulk for precocious tribunal nominees nether President Donald Trump.

Reid’s determination — dubbed “the atomic option” — came lone aft months of trying to enactment astir the filibuster proved cumbersome.

“The American radical judge Congress is broken. The American radical judge the Senate is broken. And I judge they are right,” Reid said connected the Senate level erstwhile the alteration was adopted. “The request for alteration is truthful very, precise obvious.”

After his retirement, Reid would advocator for doing distant with the filibuster for regular authorities arsenic well, saying President Joe Biden should springiness Republicans a substance of weeks to amusement they were consenting to cooperate earlier making the change.

Reid fought wellness issues toward the extremity of his governmental career. In 2005, helium suffered a transient ischemic attack, oregon TIA, a benignant of mini-stroke that didn’t person lasting effects. Ten years later, connected New Year’s Day 2015, Reid suffered an wounded that outgo him show successful his close oculus successful a mishap with an workout set successful the bath of his Henderson home. He aboriginal sued the manufacturers of the bands but lost.

Ultimately, Reid opted against moving for bureau successful 2016, alternatively tapping erstwhile Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto for the job. She won predetermination to Reid’s seat.

Following his status from the Senate, Reid moved backmost to Nevada and established a deliberation vessel astatine UNLV with erstwhile Republican House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio.

Reid was moving astatine UNLV successful 2018 erstwhile a aesculapian screening discovered a tumor connected his pancreas that prompted the country and chemotherapy.

After treatment, Reid worked for MGM portion continuing to usher his enactment successful Nevada and Washington.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., celebrates with his wife, Landra, during an predetermination nighttime enactment astatine Aria successful Las Vegas successful November 2010. Reid overcame a four-point shortage successful pre-election poles to bushed his Republican challenger, Sharron Angle. (File Photo)

Humble beginnings

Reid’s humble beginnings successful Searchlight — aboriginal the worldly of Senate fable — shaped his governmental and idiosyncratic philosophies passim his life.

“I see it a fantastic privilege, a blessing successful my life, that I person been capable to service successful the Senate with my background, wherever I came from, to beryllium capable to beryllium a senator, fto unsocial beryllium the person of the Senate, for arsenic agelong arsenic I person been,” Reid said successful a 2016 interview.

Having grown up poor, Reid nursed a longtime resentment of radical who had inherited wealthiness and whom helium thought insensitive to the needs of the poor. This was existent adjacent aft Reid — aft a vocation successful instrumentality and successful the Senate — grew affluent capable to unrecorded successful a condo astatine the Ritz Carlton successful Washington, D.C.

Nowhere was this much evident than successful the statesmanlike run of 2012, wherever Reid took purpose astatine Republican nominee Mitt Romney, a erstwhile Massachusetts politician and, similar Reid, a subordinate of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Reid boldly charged that Romney, who had led a hedge money and who had been accused by adjacent chap Republican Newt Gingrich of destroying companies and throwing Americans retired of work, paid nary taxes himself successful the decennary earlier helium ran for president.

Romney denied the allegation, which aboriginal proved to beryllium wholly untrue. Confronted astir the allegation astatine an event, Reid said Romney could simply merchandise his taxation returns and beryllium the allegation false. Asked if helium wasn’t utilizing the tactics of the 1950s-era blacklist, Reid gamely replied that blacklist members could ne'er wide their names, portion Romney could easy wide his by releasing his returns.

Eventually, Romney did, and the returns showed helium had paid millions successful taxes during immoderate of the years successful question. After Romney mislaid the election, Reid was asked astir his complaint by CNN’s Dana Bash. Adopting a wry smile, Reid replied, “He didn’t win, did he?”

It was that benignant of governmental pugilism that gave Reid his estimation arsenic an irascible person with the speedy temper and a cutting lingua who lashed retired astatine adversaries and friends alike. He seldom socialized successful Washington, contented to beryllium with his household and wife, Landra, with whom helium eloped and joined successful 1959.

He erstwhile called then-President George W. Bush a “loser” and a “liar.” (Bush had promised connected the run way to determine the Yucca Mountain atomic repository question based connected “sound science,” but authorized the dump aft helium was elected.)

Reid claimed Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was “classless” and denounced President-elect Donald Trump arsenic “a intersexual predator who mislaid the fashionable vote.”

Reid aboriginal apologized for calling Bush a loser, but not a liar.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., listens to a reporter's question during a quality league aft Republican attempts to scuttle the nonbinding timeline of Iraq unit withdrawal failed connected a ballot of 50-48 connected Capitol Hill successful Washington connected March 27, 2007. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Speaking his caput

But the intemperate name-calling became a quality trait — and 1 disdained by Republicans.

McConnell wrote successful his memoir that Reid had a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality” and was rhetorically challenged. “If a scalpel volition work, helium picks up a nutrient ax,” McConnell said.

The outbursts grew much commonplace successful the hardened partisan ambiance successful the Senate, catching adjacent loyal staffers by surprise.

“As a staffer you were terrified, due to the fact that you ne'er knew precisely what helium was going to say. Sometimes it worked retired good and sometimes it didn’t,” said Jim Manley, a erstwhile main spokesperson for Reid.

“He had an astonishing quality to talk his mind,” Manley added.

That was conscionable arsenic existent of Democrats arsenic it was for Republicans. According to the publication “Game Change,” Reid erstwhile said that Obama could beryllium palmy successful authorities successful portion due to the fact that helium was “light-skinned” and had “no Negro dialect, unless helium wanted to person one.”

After the quality broke, Reid apologized for his remarks, telling CNN, “I profoundly regret utilizing specified a mediocre prime of words.”

“I sincerely apologize for offending immoderate and each Americans, particularly African Americans, for my improper comments,” Reid added.

In fact, Reid was 1 of the archetypal radical to suggest to Obama — past a first-term U.S. legislator from Illinois — that helium should tally for president. Reid’s judgement of Obama’s governmental skills proved to beryllium close on, and led to a history-making presidency.

While each senators see themselves to beryllium statesmanlike timber, Reid ne'er had White House ambitions, said Manley, who worked for the late-Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., during his decades connected Capitol Hill.

“He was the lone legislator successful my 20 years that didn’t consciousness that way,” Manley said of Reid’s deficiency of statesmanlike ambition. “He was astute capable to recognize his skills were champion near successful the Senate.”

Reid utilized those skills to the payment of his state.

Impacts connected Nevada

Locally, Reid was credited with redeeming the improvement of CityCenter aft it was imperiled by the large recession, and superior improvements projects that helped buffer Las Vegas during the economical downturn, recession and lodging bust successful 2008.

Less conspicuously, Reid besides helped the Nevada mining manufacture by preventing immoderate effort to enforce greater national royalties connected golden mined successful the state. Ironically, Reid consistently mislaid elections successful agrarian Nevada, wherever astir mining operations were located.

Reid besides is credited with pressing the Obama medication to make 3 nationalist monuments, Tule Springs Fossil Beds, Gold Butte, and Basin and Range.

Reid’s advocacy for Nevada to determination up connected the statesmanlike nominating calendar was prompted by his content that Nevada’s diverseness amended reflected the American colonisation astatine ample than either Iowa oregon New Hampshire, tiny and comparatively achromatic states.

“I don’t deliberation it matters what happens successful Iowa oregon New Hampshire due to the fact that those states are not typical of the state anymore,” said Reid successful 2019, according to NBC News.

At the process extremity of his Senate vocation — and into his status — Reid’s relation successful pressuring the authorities to merchandise accusation astir UFOs came to light. Reid credited Channel 8 newsman George Knapp, an adept connected the mysterious phenomenon, with sparking his involvement successful the subject.

And portion inactive successful the Senate, Reid was capable to unafraid backing for a legislature survey of what the authorities alternatively called “unidentified aerial phenomenon,” although helium admitted helium risked being considered a “kook” for asking for the probe.

“I was told aboriginal by friends to enactment the hellhole distant from this,” Reid told the Review-Journal successful a June interview.

But Reid said helium ignored their advice, and was gladsome helium did, fixed the anticipation that awaited the nationalist merchandise of the Defense Department’s probe into the subject.

“People are tremendously funny successful this now,” Reid said.

Contact Gary Martin astatine gmartin@reviewjournal.com oregon 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc connected Twitter. Review-Journal Politics and Government Editor Steve Sebelius contributed to this story.