Early Life

Harry Reid was born in Searchlight, Nevada, a small mining town. He received his A.S. from Southern Utah State College in 1959 and in 1961 earned his B.S. from Utah State University. He attended George Washington University Law School while also working as a police officer, earning his law degree in 1964. Reid returned to Nevada and worked as an attorney. He married Landra Gould and the couple had five children.

Nevada State Government

In 1967, Reid was elected to the Nevada State Assembly as a Democratic representative. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1970 and he served under Mike O'Callaghan who was also his high school history teacher. Reid ran for the U.S. Senate seat in 1974 but lost by fewer than 600 votes to former Governor Paul Laxalt.

From 1977 to 1981, Reid was the Nevada state gaming commissioner. A character in the film Casino played by Dick Smothers is partly based on Reid. The position subjected him to harassment and numerous threats. Reid's wife once found a bomb attached to one of their cars. Reid allowed the FBI to tape an attempted bribe from Jack Gordon, the manager and future husband of LaToya Jackson, in which Gordon offers $12,000 and Reid unsuccessfully tries to strangle him, shouting "You son of a bitch, you tried to bribe me!"

U.S. Congress

Reid won the Democratic nomination and the general election for the 1st Congressional District in 1982 and served two terms. In 1986 Reid was elected to the U.S. Senate where he was subsequently reelected three more times. He became Minority Whip in 1999 and later Majority Whip in 2001 when control of the Senate temporarily returned to the Democrats. Reid became Minority Whip again after the 2002 elections. In November 2004, he was elected Senate Democratic Leader and Minority Leader and in November 2006 Reid was elected Senate Majority Leader for the 110th Congress. He has served on the Appropriations, Environment and Public Works and Indian Affairs committees as well as special committees on Aging and Ethics.

Political Positions and Issues

He is an unusual combination of Mormon religious conservatism and Democratic principals. He feels that Republican ideals are contrary to his beliefs as a Mormon, which emphasize helping others. He leans right on issues of gun ownership and the death penalty. He does not let his religious beliefs influence his vote when it comes to abortion or equal rights for homosexuals, which tends to be moderate to liberal. His views on immigration and issues relating to illegal immigrants are seen as liberal.

Reid has been very active on the issue of the Iraq War. Reid voted to authorize military force in Iraq in 1991 and 2003. In 2007, Reid said the war could not be won through military force but pursuing political, economic and diplomatic means could bring peace to Iraq. In 2005, Reid pushed for expediency in the investigation of the inaccuracy of intelligence that claimed Iraq had been in possession of weapons of mass destruction. In 2007, Reid joined with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a letter to the President opposing his plans for the Iraq War troop surge of 2007, saying Adding more combat troops will only endanger more Americans and stretch our military to the breaking point for no strategic gain.

In 2006, Reid opposed a Constitutional amendment to make English the national language of the United States, calling the proposal "racist." Reid became a major supporter of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007. He also supports the DREAM Act which would make it easier for young people who are not citizens of the United States, but are permanent residents, to attend college or university in the United States.

Also in 2006, he opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would prohibit marriage between same sex partners, although he believes that "marriage should be between a man and a woman."

Harry Reid is pro-life though his votes do not follow a strict pattern. Reid was a co-sponsor of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994, which set new rules and restrictions on pro-life protesters at abortion clinics. He has also voted for the ban "partial-birth abortions" and favored banning all late-term abortions with exceptions for the life and health of the woman involved. In 2005, Reid voted against Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, in part because of Robert's strong "pro-life" ideology does not jive with Nevada's 64% who are pro-choice. In 2006, Reid introduced legislation co-sponsored with Hillary Clinton that would fund abortion prevention efforts such as giving women broader access to contraception.

Reid is a strong supporter of the death penalty. He voted in favor of limiting death penalty appeals and executing criminals who were minors when they committed their crime.

He supports legislation that would cut $15 billion in tax breaks for large oil companies and put the money toward renewable energy sources.

In 2007, Reid supported an ethics bill that would bars members from accepting gifts, meals and trips from lobbyists and organizations. It bars Senators from borrowing corporate jets for travel, and compels Senators to disclose the names of sponsors (or authors) of bills and projects, the purpose and the cost of the pet projects (also called earmarks), that in the past were added anonymously into large, complex spending bills.

Reid voted against the ban on semi-automatic firearms and in favor of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, in favor of the Brady Bill and background checks at gun shows.