It was poignant that former Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid would die Tuesday evening, only weeks after the death of fellow Senate strongman Bob Dole.
Nevada Democrat Reid, who was 82, and Kansas Republican Dole both served more than a decade as the leader of their respective parties in the U.S. Senate. Although neither had the iron-fisted reign of Lyndon Johnson so graphically depicted in Robert Caro’s aptly-named "Master of the Senate," both could nonetheless be dubbed "Masters of the Senate" for their ability to weld together small majorities of their often-fractious parties to do deeds of consequence.
But where Dole proudly reached across the aisle to woo Democrats on rescuing Social Security or Ronald Reagan’s tax and budget measures, Reid grew increasingly partisan and relied on fellow Democrats when he was majority leader from 2006-16.
The Affordable Care Act and the Dodd Frank regulatory legislation of 2010, enacted when Democrats held the majority in the Senate, were passed largely on party lines. Most significantly, Reid was the architect of the "nuclear option" in 2013 which ended the 60-vote rule for ending any filibuster on presidential nominations except for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Historians almost universally agree that this exacerbated partisan emotions in an already-divided Senate. Four years later, when Republicans held the majority in the Senate, GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., retaliated with a "nuclear option" that ended the filibuster on Supreme Court appointments.
There was another clear difference between Senate Leaders Dole and Reid: excluding his only tough reelection for the Senate in 1974, Dole coasted to wins in his home state for 36 years. Reid, more often than not, had to fight hard to win and lost a few contests and nearly lost a few others — a situation that may have enhanced his partisan nature.
Elected lieutenant governor of the Silver State in 1970 at age 30 on a winning ticket headed by his one-time high school boxing coach Mike O’Callaghan, Searchlight, Nevada, lawyer Reid was suddenly one of the Democratic Party’s brightest young stars. Four years later, as his party’s Senate nominee in the so-called "Watergate Year," he was either tied or slightly ahead of Republican former Gov. Paul Laxalt — especially after then-President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon in the fall.
"But Harry made a big mistake that probably kept him from being senator," Carol Laxalt, Paul’s widow, told Newsmax. "He demanded not only that Paul release his tax returns and net worth, but that since he was in business with his brothers, all of his family should release their net worth. Paul shot back that this would be difficult, since he had a sister who was a [Roman Catholic] nun and had taken the vow of poverty."
In the closest Senate race in the nation, Laxalt eked out a win over Reid by fewer than 700 votes.
In 1975, Reid attempted a comeback with a bid for mayor of Las Vegas. But he lost to fellow Democrat Bill Briare.
Old mentor O’Callaghan rescued Reid from obscurity in 1977 when he named him chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. Five years later, Reid won the newly-created U.S. House district that included Las Vegas.
Reid finally got his crack at the office he savored when old foe Laxalt announced his retirement from the Senate in 1986. Republicans had hoped to keep the seat in their hands with Democrat-turned-Republican ex-Rep. Jim Santini. But even with strong campaigning on Santini’s behalf by Laxalt and President Ronald Reagan, Reid managed to win, 50% to 44%.
In all but one of his subsequent trips to the polls, Reid never managed more than 55% — a clear sign that a large chunk of his fellow Nevadans were aware of his increasingly liberal record and didn’t like it.
His closest brush with defeat came in 1998, when Republican Rep. John Ensign — a charismatic and likeable veterinarian who ran commercials featuring him treating dogs — lost to Reid by a microscopic 428 votes out of nearly 417,000 cast. More than a few pundits concluded that Reid was rescued by a lower-than-usual turnout of Republican voters because of disappointment with their party’s congressional leadership.
With Nevada voters furious in 2010 about the Affordable Care Act and the role Reid played in its enactment, the Senate Democrat leader seemed doomed. But Republicans appeared to pave the way for his survival after nominating former State Assemblywoman Sharron Angle as his opponent. Angle had difficulty expounding on issues, such as why she wanted to abolish the Department of Education, and relied on catchy phrases like "Man Up, Harry Reid!" in debate. Reid won 50% to 44%.
"Whether you love him or hate him, Harry Reid was the most influential Nevada politician of our time," Hal Furman, former Reagan Administration official and 1994 Republican Senate nominee in Nevada, told Newsmax. "Senator Reid built a political machine in Nevada the likes of which we are unlikely to see for years to come. I’ve never met a more formidable partisan, nor a more skilled tactician."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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