Biden and Others React to Harry Reid’s Death: ‘A Dear Friend and a Giant of Our History’
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President Joe Biden and other politicians reacted to the death on Tuesday of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at the age of 82.
“A son of Searchlight, Nevada, Harry never forgot his humble roots. A boxer, he never gave up a fight—whether in politics or even against cancer,” said Biden in a statement. “A great American, Harry looked at the challenges of the world and believed it was within our capacity to do good, to do right, and to do our part of perfecting the Union we all love.”
“May God bless Harry Reid, a dear friend and a giant of our history,” he added.
Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement as well.
“Our country has lost an honorable public servant. Harry Reid rose through the ranks in Washington, becoming Senate Majority Leader, but he never forgot his humble beginnings in Searchlight, Nevada – and he always fought for working families and the poor,” she said. “Leader Reid also got things done: from expanding access to healthcare through the Affordable Care Act, to getting economic relief to families and businesses through the Recovery Act, and much more, he made a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said:
Harry Reid was one of the most amazing individuals I have ever met.
He was tough-as-nails strong, but caring and compassionate, and always went out of his way quietly to help people who needed help. He was a boxer who came from humble origins, but he never forgot where he came from and used those boxing instincts to fearlessly fight those who were hurting the poor and the middle class.
He was my leader, my mentor, one of my dearest friends.
He’s gone but he will walk by the sides of many of us in the Senate every single day.
In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) acknowledged that while the two had their differences, Reid “was always doing what he earnestly, deeply felt was right for Nevada and our country” and that they “both celebrated the fact that [their] many differences had never really gotten personal.”
“The runway that brought Harry to the upper chamber was nothing short of amazing. His life’s journey began in a house that lacked running water,” said McConnell. “It took him all the way from amateur boxing and a stint with the U.S. Capitol Police to eventually becoming one of the most senior leaders whom that force protected. You could hardly invent a more quintessentially American story, and it took Harry’s legendary toughness, bluntness, and tenacity to make it happen.”
Nevada’s Democratic senators, Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, who succeeded Reid in 2017, also chimed in.
“Senator Reid was an inspiration to me and so many Nevadans. A former boxer from Searchlight, he taught me that it is always worth fighting the good fight, and I am forever grateful for his friendship over the years,” said Rosen in a statement. “Senator Reid carried our state to new heights – nobody has done more in the history of our state to advance Nevada’s interests.”
“Harry Reid was a champion for Nevada, helping preserve our precious environmental treasures, strengthen our rural communities, and build up our great cities. He knew Nevada was a microcosm of the country, and he made sure our great state would have a major role in deciding each party’s nominee for president,” said Cortez Masto in a statement. “And he never hesitated to fight for us, from blocking efforts to dump nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain to getting our state the federal support we deserve.”
