Harry Reid

Harry Reid

Democratic Party

Prior offices:

U.S. Senate Nevada

Years in office: 1987 - 2017

Successor: Catherine Cortez Masto (D)

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U.S. House Nevada District 1

Years in office: 1983 - 1987

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Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission

Years in office: 1977 - 1981

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Lieutenant Governor of Nevada

Years in office: 1971 - 1975

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Nevada State Assembly

Years in office: 1969 - 1970

Compensation

Net worth

$4,491,031

Education

Bachelor's

Utah State University

Law

George Washington University

Personal

Religion

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)

Profession

Attorney

Harry Mason Reid (b. December 2, 1939, in Searchlight, NV; d. December 28, 2021) was a former Democratic member of the United States Senate from the state of Nevada. Reid served in the Senate from 1987 to 2017. He served as the Senate Minority Leader from 2015 to 2017. He previously served as Senate Majority Leader from January 2007 to January 2015.

Prior to his election to the United States Senate, Reid served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1987.

On December 28, 2021, Reid died from pancreatic cancer.

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.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Reid's academic, professional, and political career:

• 1987-2017: U.S. Senator from Nevada
• 1983-1987: U.S. House of Representatives
• 1977-1981: Chairman, Nevada Gaming Commission
• 1969-1970: Nevada State Assembly

Committee assignments

U.S. Senate

2015-2016

Reid served on the following committees:

• Select Committee on Intelligence

2011-2012

Reid served on the following committee:

• Select Committee on Intelligence (Ex officio)

Key votes

114th Congress

The first session of the 114th Congress enacted into law six out of the 2,616 introduced bills (0.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 1.3 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the first session. In the second session, the 114th Congress enacted 133 out of 3,159 introduced bills (4.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 7.0 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. The Senate confirmed 18,117 out of 21,815 executive nominations received (83 percent). For more information pertaining to Reid's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections.

Economic and fiscal

Trade Act of 2015

See also: The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, 2015

On May 22, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314, which was used as a legislative vehicle for trade legislation with the titles "Trade Act of 2015" and the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015," by a vote of 62-37. The bill proposed giving the president trade promotion authority (TPA). TPA, also known as fast track authority, allows the president to negotiate trade deals that cannot be amended by Congress. Congress casts a simple up or down vote on a trade agreement, and the legislation only requires a simple majority for approval. The bill also included a statement of trade priorities and provisions for trade adjustment assistance. Reid voted with 30 other Democratic senators against the bill.
Trade promotion authority
On June 24, 2015, by a vote of 60-38, the Senate approved trade promotion authority (TPA) as part of HR 2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act. Reid was one of 31 Democrats to vote against the bill. After, Senate Republican leadership honored a pledge to support trade adjustment assistance (TAA) by passing the measure as part of HR 1295 - Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 by voice vote. The House passed HR 1295 the following day, on June 25, 2015, and both TPA and TAA were signed into law on June 29, 2015.

2016 Budget proposal

On May 5, 2015, the Senate voted to approve SConRes11, a congressional budget proposal for fiscal year 2016, by a vote of 51-48. The non-binding resolution will be used to create 12 appropriations bills to fund the government before funding runs out on October 1, 2015. The vote marked the first time since 2009 that Congress approved a joint budget resolution. All 44 Democrats, including Reid, voted against the resolution.

Defense spending authorization

On November 10, 2015, the Senate passed S 1356 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 91-3. The second version of the $607 billion national defense bill included "$5 billion in cuts to match what was approved in the budget" and language preventing the closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison. Reid voted with 41 Democrats, 48 Republicans and one independent in favor of the bill. On November 5, 2015, the House passed the bill by a vote of 370-58, and President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 25, 2015.

On June 18, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1735 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 71-25. The bill "authorizes FY2016 appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, including military personnel strengths. It does not provide budget authority, which is provided in subsequent appropriations legislation." Reid voted with 21 Democrats, two Republicans and one Independent against the bill. The House passed the bill on May 15, 2015. President Barack Obama vetoed the bill on October 22, 2015.

2015 budget

On October 30, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314 - Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 by a vote of 64-35. The bill increased military and domestic spending levels and suspended the debt ceiling until March 2017. Reid voted with 43 Democrats, 18 Republicans and two independents in favor of the bill. It passed the House on October 28, 2015. President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 2, 2015.

Foreign Affairs

Iran nuclear deal

See also: Iran nuclear agreement, 2015

On May 7, 2015, the Senate voted to approve HR 1191 - A bill to provide for congressional review and oversight of agreements relating to Iran's nuclear program, and for other purposes, by a vote of 98-1. The bill required President Barack Obama to submit the details of the nuclear deal with Iran for congressional review. Congress had 60 days to review the deal and vote to approve, disapprove or take no action on the deal. During the review period, sanctions on Iran could not be lifted. All 43 Democratic senators who voted, including Reid, approved the bill.

Hire More Heroes Act of 2015
On September 10, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 58-42. Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Reid voted with 39 Democrats and two Independents against proceeding to the measure of disapproval.

Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 follow up votes
On September 15, 2015, the Senate voted for a second time to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 56-42. Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Reid voted with 39 Democrats and two Independents against proceeding to the measure of disapproval. The legislation was voted on for a third time on September 17, and it failed for a third time by a vote of 56-42.

Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 fourth vote
On September 17, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster a vote on S.Amdt.2656 to S.Amdt.2640 by a vote of 53-45. The amendment proposed prohibiting "the President from waiving, suspending, reducing, providing relief from, or otherwise limiting the application of sanctions pursuant to an agreement related to the nuclear program of Iran." Reid voted with 42 Democrats and two Independents against proceeding to the amendment.

Domestic

USA FREEDOM Act of 2015

On June 2, 2015, the Senate passed HR 2048 - the Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015 or the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 by a vote of 67-32. The legislation revised HR 3199 - the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 by terminating the bulk collection of metadata under Sec. 215 of the act, requiring increased reporting from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and requiring the use of "a specific selection term as the basis for national security letters that request information from wire or electronic communication service providers, financial institutions, or consumer reporting agencies." Reid voted with 42 Democrats, 23 Republicans and one Independent to approve the legislation. It became law on June 2, 2015.

Cyber security

On October 27, 2015, the Senate passed S 754 - the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 by a vote of 74-21. The bill proposed procedures that would allow federal agencies and private entities to share information about cyber threats. Reid voted with 29 Democrats, 43 Republicans and one independent in favor of the bill.

Immigration

On October 20, 2015, the Senate voted against proceeding to a vote on S 2146 - the Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act by a vote of 54-45. The bill proposed withholding federal funding from "sanctuary jurisdictions" that violate the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 and other federal immigration laws. In addition, the bill proposed increasing "penalties for individuals who illegally reenter the United States after being removed" and providing "liability protection for State and local law enforcement who cooperate with Federal law enforcement." Reid voted with 41 Democrats, one Republican and two Independents against proceeding to the bill.

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Reid's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.

National security

John Brennan CIA nomination

Reid voted for the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination.

Economy

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

On September 26, 2013, in regards to the government shutdown, Reid said that there would be no concessions from the Senate on Obamacare to avoid a government shutdown.

Reid and other Democratic leaders said that they would only accept a clean continuing resolution. He refused to say whether he would accept a one-week continuing resolution from House members, which could have been a last-minute safety valve if the two chambers did not agree on a longer solution.

“I’m not going to speculate on what they are going to do. We have all made it very clear: We’ll have a clean CR,” Reid said. “Right now, they do not know what they are going to do. They’re throwing all this mud to see what sticks on the wall.”

During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Reid voted with the Democratic Party for the bill.

No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013

Reid voted for H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.

Immigration

Mexico-U.S. border

Reid voted against Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.

Social issues

Violence Against Women (2013)

Reid voted for S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.

Previous congressional sessions

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 an 89 - 8 vote on January 1, 2013.

Issues

2016 presidential endorsement

✓ Reid endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

See also: Endorsements for Hillary Clinton

Healthcare

See also: Healthcare.gov website rollout

Reid said that he was not worried about the Healthcare.gov difficulties impacting Democrats negatively in the 2014 election cycle. He said, "I think it’s going to be good for them. By that time, there will be a lot of people on it that have already signed up. It’ll be fine." He added, "We have 21 Democratic senators that are up, and … we’re watching two or three of them closely, but to take over the majority they’d need six seats. I’m not cocky, but I am comfortable where we are. I think we’re in pretty good shape." He also defended President Barack Obama's claim that people could keep their insurance plans. He said, "Remember what the president said: ‘If you like your insurance, you can keep it.’ There is nobody in America that has the same insurance that … they had when he said this. We’ve had three different years. The policies are only for one year." He added, "I still go back and say what I said earlier. What he said was true. If you want to keep the insurance you have you can keep it. The problem is … we did not put the bill into effect that way. There’s a lot of administrative things that kicked in, and there have been three changes in anyone’s policy since then. It’s not the same policy."

American intervention in Syria

See also: United States involvement in Syria

Reid spoke to the Senate in support of military intervention in Syria. He said, "If we allow Assad’s use of chemical weapons to go unchecked and unanswered, hostile forces around the world will also assume these terrible attacks of demons like Assad are permissible, they’re OK. Americans cannot allow that. My mind returns to that turning point in the world history when the United States of America faced down an evil regime that murdered millions of innocent citizens. Millions and millions of civilians and prisoners of war were murdered by gas in Nazi death camps.” Reid added, “Some prefer isolation. That’s the easy thing to do. But sitting on the sideline isn’t what made the United States of America the greatest nation in the world in years past. Sitting on the sidelines won’t make us a better nation tomorrow.”

Reid on Syria

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 beginning during the tea party surge in 2010. The agency was accused of 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 according to a timeline created by the agency's inspector general. 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.

The targeting included 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.

On May 16, IRS Commissioner Steven Miller announced his resignation. He still testified at the hearings the next day.

As a result of this scandal, Republicans and many Democratic members of Congress, including Reid, 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.

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.

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. 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. Lerner retired on September 23, 2013.

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. 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 owned 160 acres of undeveloped land in Bullhead City.

Criticism of Ted Cruz

Reid had harsh words for Republican Senator Ted Cruz in October 2013. He said he hoped that Cruz would run for President in 2016 because it would bring down the GOP. Reid explained, "If I didn’t care so much about our country, I would hope he would get the Republican nomination for president, because that would mean the end of the Republican Party. With Ted Cruz, I am sure this will help him raise more money." He added he was not worried another shutdown would happen because of how badly the most recent shutdown damaged the Republicans' poll numbers. However, Reid lashed out at moderate Republicans who voted with the tea party Republicans--"My disappointment in all of this is not the 80 or 90 people who live in some other political world that I don’t understand. But my disappointment is the so-called moderates who went along with this vote after vote after vote. Einstein said this, pure definition of insanity is somebody who does something over and over and over again and expects a different result. So that was my No. 1 concern, that these so-called moderate Republicans went along with this crazy stuff." He also commented on an incident with Senator Tom Coburn. At a New York Young Republican Club meeting in October 2013, Coburn was discussing camaraderie in the U.S. Senate. He specifically mentioned a good relationship with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), but when it came to Sen. Harry Reid, Coburn's sentiments were not so positive. According to attendees, Coburn referred to Reid as an "absolute a--hole." Reid said that he didn't believe Coburn meant what he said and they had worked out their issues.

"Nuclear option"

On November 21, 2013, Reid invoked the "nuclear option," cutting the 60-vote threshold required for executive branch nominees to reach the floor for confirmation votes to a simple majority vote. The rule change came after Senate Republicans blocked three D.C. Circuit Court judges from confirmation. Tensions in the chamber became increasingly hostile, and the decision to invoke the "nuclear option" was expected to make problems worse. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated, "Some of us have been around here long enough to know that the shoe is sometimes on the other foot." He continued, "You may regret this a lot sooner than you think."

The "nuclear option" was not popular with John McCain either. Prior to giving a speech on the floor criticizing the change, McCain told Reid, "I'm going to kick the crap out of you." Expecting the criticism, Reid replied, "John, I would expect nothing less."

The rule change passed by a vote of 52-48, with three Democrats voting against the change.

Opinion of Rand Paul

Reid apparently grew fond of Rand Paul despite ideological differences. In December 2013, he said, "I met in the last few days with Rand Paul, spent a lot of time with him, and I have grown to really like him. He’s — even though he has some set political views, he wants to get things done here. And I find that throughout the Republicans. I think they want to get things done. And I hope that’s true."

Floor time in 2013

According to analysis of CSPAN video by the Los Angeles Times, Reid spent 30 hours speaking on the floor in 2013. He was beat by Jeff Sessions, who held the floor for 33 hours.

Elections

2016

See also: United States Senate election in Nevada, 2016

The race for Nevada's open U.S. Senate seat was one of Ballotpedia's nine competitive battleground races in 2016. Former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto (D) defeated U.S. Rep. Joe Heck (R), a doctor and brigadier general in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq, and four third-party candidates in the general election to win retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s (D) seat. Her victory on November 8, 2016, made her the first-ever Latina elected to the United States Senate.

Reid’s seat was the Republican Party’s only chance to pick up a Senate seat this cycle. Cortez Masto’s biggest ally was Reid, who used his get out the vote resources to make sure his seat stayed under Democratic control. Reid and outside groups heavily influenced the race and were partially responsible for the negative tone and numerous attack ads. According to USA Today, “The race was anything but cordial. Outside money flooded the state bringing the total spending to nearly $100 million. All that cash washed away nearly any real policy discussion, as attacks flew claiming Cortez Masto was incompetent and corrupt while Heck was a stooge for the billionaire Koch Brothers.”

In her victory speech, Cortez Masto commented on her status as the first Latina elected to the Senate, saying, "It's not just about making history. Don't you think it is about time that we had diversity in the U.S. Senate? Don't you think it's about time that our government mirrors the people we serve every day?"

U.S. Senate, Nevada General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Catherine Cortez Masto	47.1%	521,994
	Republican	Joe Heck	44.7%	495,079
	N/A	None of these candidates	3.8%	42,257
	Independent American	Tom Jones	1.5%	17,128
	Independent	Thomas Sawyer	1.3%	14,208
	Independent	Tony Gumina	1%	10,740
	Independent	Jarrod Williams	0.6%	6,888
Total Votes				1,108,294
Source: Nevada Secretary of State

U.S. Senate, Nevada Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Joe Heck	64.9%	74,524
Sharron Angle	22.8%	26,146
None of these candidates	3.4%	3,903
Tom Heck	3.1%	3,567
Eddie Hamilton	1.8%	2,057
D'Nese Davis	1.7%	1,938
Bill Tarbell	1%	1,179
Robert Leeds	0.6%	662
Juston Preble	0.5%	582
Carlo Poliak	0.2%	279
Total Votes		114,837
Source: Nevada Secretary of State

U.S. Senate, Nevada Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Catherine Cortez Masto	80.6%	81,971
Allen Rheinhart	5.6%	5,650
None of these candidates	5.4%	5,501
Liddo O'Briant	4.8%	4,842
Bobby Mahendra	3.7%	3,764
Total Votes		101,728
Source: Nevada Secretary of State

"Thank You!" video from Sen. Reid's YouTube account

After insisting for months that he would seek re-election in 2016, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) released a video on March 27, 2015, stating that he would not run in 2016 after all.

In the video, where he can be seen with an eye injury he acquired in a January accident, Reid outlines his reasons for retiring in 2016. He stated, "We have to make sure that the Democrats take control of the Senate again. And I feel it is inappropriate for me to soak up all those resources on me when I could be devoting those resources to the caucus, and that’s what I intend to do."

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.

U.S. 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

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Harry Reid, click [show] to expand the section.

2004 On November 2, 2004, Harry Reid won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Richard Ziser (R), Thomas Hurst (L), David Schumann (T), None of These Candidates and Gary Marinch (T) in the general election. U.S. Senate, Nevada General Election, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Harry Reid incumbent 61.1% 494,805      Republican Richard Ziser 35.1% 284,640      Libertarian Thomas Hurst 1.2% 9,559      Independent American David Schumann 0.7% 6,001      N/A None of These Candidates 1.6% 12,968      Natural Law Gary Marinch 0.3% 2,095 Total Votes 810,068 1998 On November 3, 1998, Harry Reid won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated John Ensign (R), Michael Cloud (L), Michael Williams (T) and None of These Candidates in the general election. U.S. Senate, Nevada General Election, 1998 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Harry Reid incumbent 47.9% 208,621      Republican John Ensign 47.8% 208,220      Libertarian Michael Cloud 1.9% 8,129      Natural Law Michael Williams 0.6% 2,781      N/A None of These Candidates 1.9% 8,113 Total Votes 435,864 1992 On November 3, 1992, Harry Reid won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Demar Dahl (R), H. Kent Cromwell (L), Joe Garcia Jr. (T), Harry Tootle (T), Lois Avery (T) and Other in the general election. U.S. Senate, Nevada General Election, 1992 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Harry Reid incumbent 51% 253,150      Republican Demar Dahl 40.2% 199,413      Libertarian H. Kent Cromwell 1.5% 7,222      Independent American Joe Garcia Jr. 2.3% 11,240      Populist Harry Tootle 0.9% 4,429      Natural Law Lois Avery 1.5% 7,279      N/A Other 2.7% 13,154 Total Votes 495,887 1986 On November 4, 1986, Harry Reid won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Jim Santini (R), H. Kent Cromwell (L) and Other in the general election. U.S. Senate, Nevada General Election, 1986 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Harry Reid 50% 130,955      Republican Jim Santini 44.5% 116,606      Libertarian H. Kent Cromwell 1.9% 4,899      N/A Other 3.6% 9,472 Total Votes 261,932

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Harry Reid campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2010	U.S. Senate (Nevada)	Won	$24,815,104	N/A**
2004	U.S. Senate (Nevada)	Won	$8,907,846	N/A**
Grand total			$33,722,950	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Reid's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $2,565,061 and $6,178,999. That averages to $4,372,030.00, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic senators in 2012 of $13,566,333.90. Reid ranked as the 32nd most wealthy senator in 2012. Between 2004 and 2012, Reid's calculated net worth decreased by an average of 1 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.

Harry Reid Yearly Net Worth
Year	Average Net Worth
2004	$4,582,210.00
2012	$4,372,030.00
Growth from 2004 to 2012:	−5%
Average annual growth:	−1%
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Reid received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

From 1989-2014, 29.79 percent of Reid's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.

Harry Reid Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$45,010,148
Total Spent	$44,049,093
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Lawyers/Law Firms	$6,138,885
Casinos/Gambling	$1,972,392
Securities & Investment	$1,859,033
Lobbyists	$1,739,198
Real Estate	$1,701,073
% total in top industry	13.64%
% total in top two industries	18.02%
% total in top five industries	29.79%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Reid was a moderate Democratic leader as of July 2014. This was the same rating Reid received in July 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.

Reid most often voted with:

• Mazie Hirono
• Susan Collins

Reid least often voted with:

• Joe Manchin
• Jim Risch

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Reid missed 158 of 9,632 roll call votes from January 1987 to September 2015. This amounts to 1.6 percent, which is equal to the median of 1.6 percent among current senators as of September 2015.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

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 ranked 9th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic senatorial staff salaries and ranked 35th overall of the lowest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Nevada ranked 42nd in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Reid ranked 20th in the liberal rankings in 2013.

2012

Reid ranked seventh in the liberal rankings in 2012.

2011

Reid ranked 18th in the liberal rankings in 2011.

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Reid voted with the Democratic Party 94.4 percent of the time, which ranked 32nd among the 53 Senate Democratic members as of July 2014.

2013

Reid voted with the Democratic Party 94.8 percent of the time, which ranked 30th among the 52 Senate Democratic members as of June 2013.

2016 Democratic National Convention

• Delegate to the 2016 DNC (click to expand)

  See also: Democratic National Convention, 2016

  Harry Reid
  Democratic National Convention, 2016
  Status:	Superdelegate
  State:	Nevada
  Supporting:	Hillary Clinton
  Delegates to the DNC 2016
  Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • State election law and delegates • Superdelegates by state

  Reid was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Nevada. Reid was one of eight superdelegates from Nevada. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus results to support a specific presidential candidate. Reid supported Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.Clinton formally won the Democratic nomination for president on July 26, 2016.

  What is a superdelegate?

  See also: Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

  Superdelegates in 2016 were automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike regular delegates, they were not elected to this position. Also unlike regular delegates, they were not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate, and they were not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. In 2016, superdelegates included members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

  Nevada caucus results

  See also: Presidential election in Nevada, 2016

  Nevada Democratic Caucus, 2016
  Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
  Hillary Clinton	52.6%	6,316	20
  Bernie Sanders	47.3%	5,678	15
  Totals		11,994	35
  Source: The New York Times

  *Vote totals equal county delegates won.

  Delegate allocation

  See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

  

  Nevada had 43 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 35 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide caucus results.

  Eight party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
In 1959, Reid married his high school sweetheart, Landra Gould. They have five children, a daughter and four sons.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Harry + Reid + Nevada + Senate

Harry Reid News Feed

See also

• United States Senate

External links

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Paul Laxalt	United States Senate - Nevada 1987-2017	Succeeded by Catherine Cortez Masto
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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Nevada's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Catherine Masto (D)

Jacky Rosen (D)

Representatives

District 1

Dina Titus (D)

District 2

Mark Amodei (R)

District 3

Susie Lee (D)

District 4

Steven Horsford (D)

Democratic Party (5)

Republican Party (1)