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Harry Reid
| Harry Reid | ||
 | ||
| U.S. Senate, Nevada | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 1987-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2017 | ||
| Years in position | 26 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Predecessor | Paul D. Laxalt (R) | |
| Leadership | ||
| Senate Majority Leader | ||
| 2007-Present | ||
| Senate Minority Leader | ||
| 2005-2007 | ||
| Senate Majority Whip | ||
| 2001-2003 | ||
| Senate Minority Whip | ||
| 1999-2001, 2003-2005 | ||
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $193,400/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| First elected | January 3, 1987 | |
| Next election | November 8, 2016 | |
| Campaign $ | $33,722,950 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| United States House of Representatives District 1 | ||
| 1983-1987 | ||
| Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission | ||
| 1977-1981 | ||
| Lieutenant Governor of Nevada | ||
| 1971-1974 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Utah State University | |
| J.D. | George Washington University | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | December 2, 1939 | |
| Place of birth | Searchlight, Nevada | |
| Profession | Lawyer | |
| Net worth | $4,491,031 | |
| Religion | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Reid is a "moderate Democratic leader".[1]
Biography
Reid was born in Searchlight, Nevada. Reid attended Southern Utah University and graduated from Utah State University. He then went to George Washington University Law School earning a J.D. while working for the United States Capitol Police.[2]
Career
He returned to Nevada after law school and served as Henderson city attorney before being elected to the Nevada Assembly in 1968.
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2011-2012
Reid served on the following committee:
- Select Committee on Intelligence (Ex officio)
Issues
IRS targeting
On May 10, 2013, news broke that various branches of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had specifically targeted conservative groups' applications for tax-exempt status. This began during the tea party surge in 2010. The agency was separating tax-exempt applications by searching for political terms such as "tea party" and "patriot." In June 2011, an IRS official was briefed on these transgressions and asked that this practice end. The flagging continued, however, when the criteria was changed in January 2012 to look out for groups educating on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.[3]
The targeting includes allegations that tea party groups were forced to provide information not asked of other tax exempt groups. Examples of this included requests for donor information, Facebook posts, resumes and political intentions of group officials and connections to other groups.[4][5]
On May 16, IRS Commissioner Steven Miller announced his resignation. He still testified at the hearings the next day.[6]
As a result of this scandal, Republicans and many Democratic members of Congress, including Reid, have publicly called for a deeper investigation into these matters. The House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on May 17 during which it was disclosed that the Obama administration was made aware of the targeting on June 4, 2012. [7]
On May 20, Senators Max Baucus and Orrin Hatch sent a written inquiry regarding the process for how the agency reviewed applications for tax exempt status. The letter also requested any correspondence between White House officials and the IRS mentioning 501(c) organizations. [8]
During the May 22 House committee hearing on the issue, Lois Lerner, head of the IRS tax-exempt organizations office, declined to answer questions citing her Fifth Amendment right.[9] The next day, May 23, Lerner was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation after Senators John McCain and Carl Levin called on IRS officials to place her on suspension.[10]
Earmarks
A Washington Post investigation in February 2012 revealed that 33 members of Congress helped direct more than $300 million in earmarks to public projects in close proximity to commercial and residential real estate owned by the lawmakers or their family members.[11] According to the report, Reid secured $21.5 million to build a bridge over the Colorado River, linking the gambling resort town of Laughlin, Nev., with Bullhead City, Ariz. Reid owns 160 acres of undeveloped land in Bullhead City.[12]
Fiscal Cliff
Reid voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by a 89/8 vote on January 1, 2013.[13]
Elections
2010
On November 2, 2010, Reid won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Sharron Angle (R), None of the Above, Scott Ashjian (Tea Party), Timothy Fasano (Independent American), and independent candidates Michael L. Haines, Jesse Holland, Jeffery C. Reeves, and Wil Stand.[14]
| United States Senate Nevada General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Harry Reid Incumbent |
50.3% | 362,785 | |
| Republican | Sharron Angle | 44.5% | 321,361 | |
| None of the Above | - | 2.2% | 16,174 | |
| Tea Party | Scott Ashjian | 0.8% | 5,811 | |
| Independent | Michael L. Haines | 0.6% | 4,261 | |
| Independent American | Timothy Fasano | 0.4% | 3,185 | |
| Independent | Jesse Holland | 0.4% | 3,175 | |
| Independent | Jeffery C. Reeves | 0.3% | 2,510 | |
| Independent | Wil Stand | 0.3% | 2,119 | |
| Total Votes | 721,381 | |||
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Reid is available dating back to 2004. Based on available campaign finance records, Reid raised a total of $33,722,950 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 25, 2013.[15]
| Harry Reid's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2010 | U.S. Senate (Nevada) |  |
$24,815,104 | |
| 2004 | U.S. Senate (Nevada) | |
$8,907,846 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $33,722,950 | |||
2010
Reid was re-elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010. His campaign committee raised a total of $24,815,104 and spent $25,975,547.[16]
| U.S. Senate, Nevada, 2010 - Harry Reid Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $24,815,104 |
| Total Spent | $25,975,547 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $28,162,049 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $28,262,487 |
| Top contributors to Harry Reid's campaign committee | |
| MGM Resorts International | $199,850 |
| Weitz & Luxenberg | $112,850 |
| Girardi & Keese | $105,200 |
| Simmons Cooper LLC | $105,200 |
| Caesars Entertainment | $83,600 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $3,680,169 |
| Securities & Investment | $1,272,208 |
| Lobbyists | $1,059,990 |
| Real Estate | $903,431 |
| Health Professionals | $786,615 |
Personal
In 1959, Reid married his high school sweetheart, Landra Gould. They have five children, a daughter and four sons.[17]
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Reid missed 94 of 8,799 roll call votes from January 1987 to April 2013. This amounts to 1.1%, which is better than the median of 1.7% among current senators as of April 2013.[18]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Reid paid his congressional staff a total of $2,465,489 in 2011. He ranks 9th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranks 35th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Nevada ranks 42nd in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[19]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Reid's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $2,781,063 to $6,201,000. That averages to $4,491,031, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senators in 2011 of $20,795,449.53. His average net worth decreased by 34.01% from 2010.[20]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Reid's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $3,302,053 and $10,309,999. That averages to $6,806,026, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senators in 2010 of $19,383,524.[21]
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
2012
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Reid tied with two other members of the U.S. Senate, ranking 7th in the liberal rankings among U.S. Senators.[22]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Reid ranked 18th in the liberal rankings among U.S. Senators.[23]
Political positions
Percentage voting with party
November 2011
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Harry Reid voted with the Democratic Party 92.6% of the time, which ranked 32nd among the 51 Senate Democratic members in November 2011.[24]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Harry + Reid + Nevada + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Harry Reid News Feed
- Harry Reid bill would form Gold Butte conservation area in Southern Nevada - Sparks Today
- Harry Reid's lesbian niece - AMERICAblog (blog)
- Nevada Senate Passes Plan to Retire Coal-fired Plants - Chem.Info
- Retiring coal-fired plants in Nevada passes Senate - R & D Magazine
- Nevada senators react to IRS targeting of conservative groups - Las Vegas Sun
- Not a good alfalfa farming year for Nevada's Sen. Heller - Las Vegas Review-Journal
- Reid: No way to justify Justice Department's seizure of phone records - The Hill
- Harry Reid promises 'everything in our power' to help Oklahoma recover - Las Vegas Sun
- Senate Confirms a Judge, but Rancor Remains - New York Times
- Boehner: House won't pass Senate immigration bill - Washington Times
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External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Fact-checking:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "Harry Reid," Accessed March 3, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "REID, Harry - Biographical Information"
- ↑ USA Today, "IRS knew of Tea Party profiling in 2011, report shows," accessed May 16, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "The IRS wants YOU- to share everything," accessed May 16, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "IRS officials in Washington were involved in targeting of conservative groups," accessed May 16, 2013
- ↑ CNN, "'Angry' Obama announces IRS leader's ouster after conservatives targeted," accessed May 16, 2013
- ↑ The New York Times, "Treasury Knew of I.R.S. Inquiry in 2012, Official Says," accessed May 17, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "Max Baucus and Orrin Hatch expand IRS probe," May 20,2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Lois Lerner invokes Fifth Amendment in House hearing on IRS targeting," May 22, 2013
- ↑ CBS, "IRS official Lois Lerner placed on leave," May 23, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post "Congressional earmarks sometimes used to fund projects near lawmakers' properties," February 6, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post "Mapping the earmarks," February 6, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Senate "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Donor history for Harry Reid" Accessed April 25, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Harry Reid 2010 Election Data," Accessed October 28, 2011
- ↑ United States Senator for Nevada, Harry Reid "Biography"
- ↑ GovTrack, "Reid," Accessed April 11, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm "Harry Reid"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org "Harry Reid (D-Nev), 2011," accessed February 13, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Reid, (D-Nev), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," March 5, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paul Laxalt |
United States Senate - Nevada 1987–Present |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by James David Santini |
United States House of Representatives - District 1 1983–1987 |
Succeeded by James Bilbray |
| Preceded by ' |
Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission 1977–1981 |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by Edward Fike |
Nevada Lieutenant Governor 1971–1975 |
Succeeded by Robert Rose |
| Preceded by ' |
Nevada Assembly 1968–1971 |
Succeeded by ' |
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