Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Dies at 82

Kipp JonesDec 28th, 2021, 8:35 pm
 

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) died on Tuesday at the age of 82, leaving behind a four-decade legacy as one of Washington’s most prominent Democrats.

The Nevada Independent broke the news Tuesday evening that the long-serving former senator had passed away at his home. No additional details about his death were immediately available.

Megan Messerly, reporting for the outlet, wrote:

Harry Reid, who rose from abject poverty in rural Nevada to become one of the most influential state and national leaders, died at home on Tuesday, sources confirmed to The Nevada Independent. He was 82.

Reid was thought to be nearing the end of his life when he underwent surgery in 2018 for pancreatic cancer, which has one of the lowest survival rates. Last summer, however, Reid announced that he underwent an experimental surgery and was declared in “complete remission” and cancer-free.

Born Harry Mason Reid on Dec. 2, 1939 in Searchlight, Nevada, Reid graduated from Utah State University in 1961 and from the George Washington School of Law in 1964.

Reid was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1982, where he served for two terms. Nevada voters elected him to the Senate in 1986. He served as party whip from 1999 to 2005 and as as minority leader from 2005 until 2007.

After Democrats took control of both the House and Senate in January 2007, Reid took on the role of majority leader. He held the position until 2015.

Reid retired as minority leader in 2017. He said about his retirement, “I want to be able to go out at the top of my game.”

His career highlights included passing the Affordable Care Act through the Senate on Christmas Eve in 2009 in a 60-39 vote. He notoriously invoked the nuclear option in 2013.

Current Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) honored Reid in a statement he put out on social media after hearing news of Reid’s death.

“Harry Reid was one of the most amazing individuals I’ve ever met,” Schumer tweeted. “He never forgot where he came from and used those boxing instincts to fearlessly fight those who were hurting the poor & the middle class. He’s gone but will walk by the sides of many of us in the Senate every day.”

Messerly wrote of the former senator, “Over more than three decades of service in Congress, Reid earned a reputation for fighting relentlessly to protect his home state and everyday Americans. As Senate Democratic leader for a dozen years, he played an instrumental role in passing the Affordable Care Act and shepherding through Congress pivotal economic recovery legislation in the wake of the Great Recession.”

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