Harry Reid Nears Majority Support in Nevada Senate Race Against Sharron Angle

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) got some good news last week when a Mason-Dixon poll showed the incumbent with a 7 point lead over challenger Sharron Angle. Even so, Reid only managed 44% support in that poll (to Angle’s 37%), and has consistently languished in the low 40s since his campaign began. A new poll (from Public Policy Polling), however, has Reid at 48% to Angle’s 46%. While that lead is much narrower, Reid’s proximity to the 50% mark is an excellent sign for his re-election prospects.

As pollster Dean Debnam notes, Reid is not out of the woods yet. Such a narrow lead raises the importance of turnout, and Sharron Angle’s Tea Party base is nothing if not energized. However, Debnam’s automated poll didn’t allow a choice for “other,” which accounted for 9 points in the Mason-Dixon poll. If you include Nevada’s “none of the above” line, Reid’s lead begins to look somewhat more secure.

More importantly, though, Reid is very close to achieving majority support in Nevada (and this poll was taken before Angle’s most recent media mishap), which is usually the floor for a successful incumbent, but which has eluded Reid for many months. It will be interesting to see if Angle’s flight from reporters, coupled with Reid’s speech at Netroots Nation this weekend, can push him over the 50% line in the next poll.

If it does, that could be the crucial tipping point for Reid, and could also take some of the wind out of the Tea Party’s sails. The Tea Party, led by Sarah Palin, has expended a lot of energy going after Reid, but it appears as though they’ve only made him more attractive by comparison.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.