Harry Reid
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| Harry Reid | |
| | |
| 1987 – Present | |
| Political party: | Democratic |
|---|---|
| Preceded by: | Paul Laxalt |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent (2011) |
| Born: | December 2, 1939 Searchlight, Nevada |
| Spouse: | Landra Gould |
| Religion: | Mormon |
Harry Mason Reid (born December 2, 1939) is the senior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Democratic Party, for which he presently serves as Senate Minority Leader. He will become Senate Majority Leader of the 110th Congress, as the Democrats won control of the Senate in the 2006 congressional elections. He will be the first Mormon to hold the position.
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[edit] Early life, education, and career
Reid is a converted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is a native of the small mining town of Searchlight, Nevada, where his nickname since childhood was "Pinky."<ref>Mark Leibovich Land of Hard Knocks, Washington Post July 17 2005</ref> Reid attended Basic High School in Henderson, where he had as a history teacher Mike O'Callaghan, who would play a prominent role in his future.
Reid received his A.S. from Southern Utah State College in 1959 and in 1961 earned his B.S. from Utah State University. He moved to Washington, D.C. and worked as an officer for the U.S. Capitol Police while attending George Washington University for his law degree. Reid graduated in 1964 and returned to Nevada to work as a lawyer before entering politics.
[edit] Nevada political positions
Reid was elected to the Nevada State Assembly in 1967. He left after being elected lieutenant governor in 1970, the same year his mentor O'Callaghan was elected governor. He served in that office until 1974, when he ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Alan Bible. He lost by fewer than 600 votes to former Governor Paul Laxalt.
Reid then served as Nevada state gaming commissioner from 1977 to 1981, a post which subjected him to death threats. Reid's wife once found a bomb attached to one of their cars. A character in the film Casino played by Dick Smothers is based, in part, on Reid. Jack Gordon, the manager and future husband of singer LaToya Jackson, once tried to bribe Reid. Reid allowed the FBI to tape Gordon's attempt to bribe him with $12,000, at which point Reid attempted (unsuccessfully) to strangle Gordon, saying "You son of a bitch, you tried to bribe me!"<ref>Walsh, Elsa "How a pro-gun, anti-abortion Nevadan leads the Senate’s Democrats". The New Yorker, August 8 2005</ref>
[edit] U.S. Congress
[edit] House of Representatives
Until the 1980 census, Nevada had only one member in the United States House of Representatives, but population growth in the 1970s resulted in a second district. Reid won the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District, based in Las Vegas, in 1982, and easily won the general election. He served two terms in the House, from 1983 to 1987.
[edit] U.S. Senate
[edit] Elections
Reid was elected to the Senate in 1986, succeeding Laxalt. He was reelected in 1992, 1998 and 2004. In the 1998 race, he narrowly defeated his Republican opponent, future Senator John Ensign by 428 votes <ref>Nevada Secretary of State - 1998 US Senate Recount Results</ref> (Ensign won Nevada's other Senate seat in 2000). In 2004, his Republican opponent was Richard Ziser, whom Reid defeated by a vote of 61%-35%.
[edit] Leadership positions
In 1999, Reid became Minority Whip, and the right hand man of Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota. He later became Majority Whip in 2001 when control of the Senate temporarily returned to the Democrats after Jim Jeffords left the Republican party. Reid once again became Minority Whip in the wake of the 2002 elections.
On November 16 2004, Reid was elected Senate Democratic Leader and Minority Leader for the 109th Congress, following Daschle's defeat in his bid for reelection to the Senate.
On November 14, 2006, Reid was elected Senate Majority Leader for the 110th Congress.
[edit] Actions in the Senate
When Senate Republicans threatened to invoke the nuclear option, Reid became one of the option's most fervent opponents. He threatened to virtually shut down Senate business if it were successfully invoked. However, when a group of moderate senators known as the Gang of Fourteen reached a compromise, he embraced the agreement with open arms.
During the Congressional recess of 2005, Reid suffered a "transient ischemic attack", also known as a mini-stroke. He sought medical help at the advice of his wife, Landra. A three day delay in disclosing the stroke to the press and public raised some questions.<ref>Werner, Erica. "Sen. Harry Reid Suffers Brief Mini-Stroke", Associated Press, 2005-08-20. Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref><ref>Myers, Dennis. "Reid secrecy", Reno News and Review, 2005-09-01. Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref>
On November 1 2005, Reid moved that the Senate go into closed session, a very unusual action. The public was removed from the Senate chambers. The move was intended to draw attention to the continuing controversy as to the inaccuracy of intelligence that claimed Iraq had been in possession of weapons of mass destruction.<ref>Roberts blasts closed session 'stunt', CNN.com, November 2, 2005</ref> When he called for the closed session, Reid expressed anger that a letter signed by Democratic senators to the White House demanding such an investigation had been answered by a form letter. The move was an attempt to get around the alleged stalling by Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS). Roberts had promised in July of 2004 to investigate the Bush administration's misuse of intelligence before the Iraq War, but has only released partial findings of the investigation to date and none at the time of the closed session.<ref>Yochi J. Dreazen, Jay Solomon, and Robert Block, "Democrats Poised to Flex New Muscles", Wall Street Journal, November 10, 2006.</ref> During this closed session, Democrats demanded that the Republican majority finish its report on pre-war intelligence.<ref>Babington, Charles and Dafna Linzer "GOP Angered by Closed Senate Session". washingtonpost.com, November 2 2005</ref> Republicans decried this move as a political stunt as the investigation was already well under way.<ref>Roberts blasts closed session 'stunt', CNN, November 2 2005</ref> Reid contended that this investigation has been constantly delayed, and that this move was necessary to force an end to the delays.
In February 2006, Reid's Press Secretary Tessa Hafen resigned her office in order to run against Republican Representative Jon Porter in the 3rd Congressional district with a strong show of support from Reid and others.<ref>Horrigan, Marie. "NV 3: Reid Aide Returns Home, Hopes to Upset Porter", Congressional Quarterly, 2006-02-23. Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref>
On March 22 2006, Reid said, "We’ve been in Iraq longer than we were in World War II."<ref>Harry Reid: “We’ve Been In Iraq Longer Than We Were In WWII” (VIDEO). Expose the Left (2006-03-22). Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref>
On May 18 2006, Reid opposed an amendment to make English the national language, calling the proposal "racist."<ref name = racistproposal>Hurt, Charles. "Reid calls language proposal racist", The Washington Times, 2006-05-19.</ref> Although Reid does "believe marriage should be between a man and a woman,"<ref>Reid: Federal Marriage Amendment will not address America's pressing needs (2006-05-05). Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref> on June 6 2006, he opposed<ref>Vote Summary On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to the Consideration of S. J. Res. 1 ). U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress - 2nd Session (2006-06-07). Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref> the Federal Marriage Amendment, contrary to the pleas of his own church leaders.<ref>"Church Leader Speaks at the U.S. Capitol to Protect Marriage", 2006-06-05. Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref>
In 1993, Reid reportedly said, "Our federal wallet is stretched to the limit by illegal aliens getting welfare, food stamps, medical care and other benefits without paying taxes. These programs were not meant to entice freeloaders and scam artists from around the world." However, in remarks in 2006, he characterized his anti-immigrant stance as "mostly last[ing] about a week or two" before coming to the more tolerant approach he favors today.<ref name = racistproposal />
[edit] Committee memberships
- 108th Congress<ref>MAKING MINORITY PARTY ASSIGNMENTS -- (Senate - January 15 2003)</ref>
- Committee on Appropriations
- Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Special Committee on Aging
- Select Committee on Ethics
- Committee on Indian Affairs
- 109th Congress<ref>MAKING MINORITY PARTY APPOINTMENTS TO COMMITTEES -- (Senate - January 6 2005)</ref>
- Committee on Appropriations
[edit] Contacts from Jack Abramoff's lobbying firm
- See also: Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal
In the wake of the 2006 corruption conviction of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, media criticism led over four dozen Congressmen, as well as President Bush, to return campaign donations associated with Abramoff.<ref>Espo, David. "Bush, others dump Abramoff donations", Associated Press, 2006-01-04. Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref> Reid did not receive any contributions from Abramoff, but Reid had contact with clients and lobbying partners of Abramoff,[citation needed] and Reid's campaign received over $60,000 in contributions from these groups, including about $50,000 from Native American gaming interests.<ref>Batt, Tony. "Tribes gave to Reid after hiring Abramoff", Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2006-02-03. Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref> Several times, Native American tribes that were clients of Jack Abramoff donated money to Reid after Reid's votes produced favorable results for the tribes. According to an Associated Press article, "Reid collected donations around the time of each action. Ethics rules require senators to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest in collecting contributions around the times they take official acts benefiting donors."<ref>Solomon, John and Theimer, Sharon. "Reid Aided Ambramoff Clients, Records Show", 2006-02-09. Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref> Among dozens of contacts between Abramoff's lobbying team and Reid's office, were several discussions about a bill to raise the minimum wage of the Northern Mariana Islands.<ref>Lobbyist Minimizes Talks With Reid's Staff, Associated Press,February 11 2006</ref><ref>Solomon, John, and Sharon Theimer "Probe links Reid, lobbyist". The Associated Press, February 12 2006</ref> Reid supported the bill, which Abramoff's clients opposed.
Reid said that the contributions and contacts were legal and his actions were proper. He also described the Abramoff affair as "a Republican scandal," referring to Abramoff's felony conviction for making illegal contributions to Republican Congressman Bob Ney and his close affiliation with the Republican K Street Project.<ref>Lobbyist Confirms Talks With Reid's Office, The Associated Press, February 11 2006</ref> A spokesman said that Reid had never met Abramoff personally, that neither Reid nor his campaign has ever received money directly from Abramoff, and that his legislative work was done on behalf of his Nevadan constituents.
[edit] Boxing tickets
In May 2006, John Solomon of the Associated Press erroneously reported that Reid had accepted free tickets valued at hundreds of dollars each for three boxing matches between 2003 and 2005 from the Nevada Athletic Commission,<ref>Solomon, John. "Senate leader took free boxing tickets", Associated Press, 2006-05-29. Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref> though it was later reported that Reid had in fact received "credentials" intended specifically for public officials, which, not being retail tickets, have no selling price.<ref name = "Fightfreebiedefended" >Ball, Molly. "Ringside Seats: Fight freebie defended", Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2006-05-31. Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref> At that time and afterwards, Reid, a former amateur middleweight boxer and boxing judge, supported legislation to create a federal boxing commission, which had the potential to dilute the state commission's authority. After receiving the tickets, Reid voted for the legislation, which was opposed by the state commission.
Senate ethics rules permit gifts from such governmental agencies, but advise caution "where it appears" that the gift is an attempt to influence, and also state that repeatedly taking otherwise permitted gifts should be avoided. A former House ethics lawyer said that it would have been "the more cautious thing, the more prudent thing" for Reid to have paid for the credentials or refused them. However, the promoter of the fights said that it would have been illegal for Reid to have paid for the credentials.<ref name = "Fightfreebiedefended" / >
When this issue first became public, Reid was unapologetic "In an interview Thursday in his Capitol office, Reid defended his decisions to accept the tickets.
"I'm not goody-two-shoes. I just feel these events are nothing I did wrong," Reid said.", as reported in the Reno News.
Reid agreed that he accepted the free seats, saying that attending the fights was necessary for him to understand the potential effects of federal oversight, and denied that he had acted unethically. A spokesman later said, "In light of questions that have been raised about the practice, Senator Reid will not accept these kinds of credentials in the future in order to avoid even the faintest appearance of impropriety."<ref>"Reid defends accepting boxing tickets", Associated Press, 2006-06-01. Retrieved on 2006-07-16.</ref> [1]
[edit] Las Vegas land deal
Harry Reid collected $1.1 million on land he owned through a limited liability company (LLC). In 1998 Reid bought a plot of land for $400,000. One of the sellers was a developer who arranged a land swap that Reid supported. In 2001, he transferred title of the land to the LLC in exchange for a $400,000 equivalent ownership percentage of the LLC. When the LLC sold the land, Reid made a profit. <ref name=APLand>"[[2] AP Exclusive: Reid Got $1M in Land Sale]".</ref>
The deal was structured by long-time friend and former casino attorney Jay Brown,<ref name=APLand />[3]. Reid's failure to disclose the earlier sale to a company owned by a friend and his subsequent ownership interest in the company violates Senate rules according to former Federal Election Commission overseer Kent Cooper. In addition, Brown paid a small portion of Reid's taxes on the ownership stake. Reid continued to report to Congress that he still owned the land for 3 years after he transferred title to the LLC he partially owned.<ref name=APLand /><ref>Reid Land Deal Under Scrutiny Washington Post October 12, 2006</ref> Reid's staff stated that he did not initially disclose the transfer of the land to the LLC because this transfer was not a change of ownership, but was simply Reid owning the land through an LLC instead of as an individual.
Reid directed his staff to amend the 2001 financial disclosure forms to reflect the transfer of title to the LLC. He also disclosed two other land transactions on the amended reports. <ref name=apamend> "[[4] Reid Decides to Amend Ethics Reports]".</ref>
[edit] Condo gifts
On October 17, 2006, the Associated Press reported that Reid had used campaign donations to pay for $3,300 in Christmas gifts to the staff at the condominium where he resides.[5] Federal election law prohibits candidates from using political donations for personal use. Reid's staff stated that his attorneys had approved use of the funds in this manner but that he nonetheless would personally reimburse his campaign for the expenses. That action notwithstanding, the Conservative group Citizens United announced it had filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission to investigate the matter.[6]
[edit] Earmark appropriations
Harry Reid has added earmarks to many spending bills. One such bill was for building a bridge between Nevada and Arizona that would make land he owned more valuable. "Reid called funding for construction of a bridge over the Colorado River, among other projects, "incredibly good news for Nevada" in a news release after passage of the 2005 transportation bill. He didn't mention, though, that just across the river in Arizona, he owns 160 acres of land several miles from proposed bridge sites and that the bridge could add value to his real estate investment."<ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-earmarks13nov13,0,6626376,full.story?coll=la-home-headlines Will the Pork stop here? Los Angeles Times Newspaper</ref>
[edit] Opinions, beliefs and personal traits
Harry Reid is pro-life<ref>Preston, Mark. "From the economy to abortion, politicians speak on hot button issues", CNN, July 31, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.</ref>, and he was a co-sponsor of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994, which set new rules and restrictions on abortion rights protesters. He has voted on numerous occasions for the ban on partial-birth abortions, and in 2003 he supported substitute language that would have banned all late-term abortions, while allowing exceptions for the life and health of the woman involved. Although Reid received a 100% rating from NARAL in 2001, and from 1995-2004 voted with the interests of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association 68% of the time, in 2003 and 2004, Reid received 29% and 20% ratings, respectively, from NARAL Pro-Choice America. In 2005, Reid proposed that Bush name one of four fervently pro-life Republican senators — Lindsey Graham of South Carolina , Mike DeWine of Ohio, Mel Martinez of Florida, or Mike Crapo of Idaho — to fill the seat on the U.S. Supreme Court vacated by Sandra Day O'Connor.
Reid voted against Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, nominated to replace Chief Justice William Rehnquist on the latter's death.
Reid also opposes many free trade agreements, particularly NAFTA.[7] On fiscal matters, Reid voted against the Balanced Budget Amendment and opposes the tax cuts passed since Bush took office.<ref>http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/Harry_Reid.htm</ref>
Reid has a mixed record on gun politics, voting against the ban on semi-automatic firearms and in favor of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, but in favor of the Brady Bill and background checks at gun shows. Reid is a strong supporter of the death penalty, having voted in favor of limiting death penalty appeals and executing criminals who were minors when they committed their crime. He voted to authorize military force in Iraq in 1991 and 2003.
Reid fueled the Valerie Plame affair when he said on the floor of the Senate that the leak "put this agent’s life in jeopardy". [8]
Reid made headlines in May 2005 when he said of George W. Bush, in front of a group of schoolchildren, "The man's father is a wonderful human being. I think this guy is a loser." Reid later apologized for these comments. Reid also called Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas an "embarrassment" <ref>Solomon, John, and Sharon Theimer "Reid Aided Abramoff Clients, Records Show". The Associated Press, February 9 2006</ref> and referred to Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan as a "partisan hack."
Reid is Mormon, and is married to Landra Gould, a Mormon convert from Judaism. They have five children, one of whom is an elected Commissioner for Clark County, Nevada, and another who recently ran for municipal office in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.
[edit] Popular culture
Reid had a cameo role in the movie Traffic.
[edit] Reference
<references/>
[edit] External links
- Official U.S. Senate website
- Campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography from "The First 100 Persons Who Shaped Southern Nevada"
- Interview with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid
- About.com Profile of US Senator Harry Reid of Nevada
- "Harry Reid Is Not Boring" - by Chris Suellentrop, Slate.com, 22 December 2004
- 'Nevada Senator Reid Apologizes For Calling President A "Loser"' - May 9, 2005.
- "Senate Democratic leader Reid has mild stroke" - August 19, 2005
- "AP: Reid got $1 million in land sale" - October 12, 2006
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Categories: Articles with unsourced statements | Current events | 1939 births | George Washington University alumni | Jack Abramoff scandals | Latter Day Saint politicians | Lieutenant governors of Nevada | Living people | Members of the United States House of Representatives from Nevada | Nevada lawyers | United States Senators from Nevada
