SCHUMER SHUTDOWN SALE: 74% Off VIP Memberships!
The Dems' Are Working Hard to Get This Schumer Shutdown Point Across. It's...
This CNN Commentator Knows What's Coming for Dems After the Schumer Shutdown Ends
AG Bondi to Appeal the Perversion of Justice in the Sentencing of Justice...
Kash Patel Dog Walks MSNBC for Fake News About James Comey Indictment
Scott Wiener: Accusations of Fascism Will Continue Until Conservatives Bend the Knee to...
Colorado Authorities Reopen Investigation Into Death of Hunter S. Thompson
Maxwell House Coffee’s Temporary Rebrand Is Something Else
Hope Amid Chaos in Nigeria
Nation Stunned After Child's Killer Freed
WATCH: Michigan Law Enforcement Eradicates Church Attacker
Maryland Accountant Sentenced to 3 Years for $24M COVID Relief Fraud
Over 90,000 Investors Scammed in $200M Bitcoin Fraud
Gunfire Erupts in Broadview: Armed Woman Targets DHS Agents
No Workouts, Just Payouts: Fitness Company Was a PPP Front
Tipsheet

Former Democratic Senator Harry Reid Dies at 82

AP Photo/John Locher, File

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-N.V.), who served in Congress from 1983 until 2017, died Tuesday at the age of 82 following a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

Advertisement

Reid, a notable figure in Nevada politics, served in the Nevada Assembly for two years starting in 1969 before he was sworn in as the state's lieutenant governor, serving from 1971 to 1975. He later served in the U.S. House of Representatives for four years, from 1983 to 1987, prior to his election to the Senate, where he served from 1987 until his retirement in 2017. He was the Senate majority leader from 2007 to 2015.

"I am heartbroken to announce the passing of my husband, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid," Reid's wife, Landra Reid, said in a statement. "He died peacefully this afternoon, surrounded by our family, following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Harry was 82 years old. We were married for 62 years."

"We are so proud of the legacy he leaves behind both on the national stage and his beloved Nevada," she continued. "Harry was deeply touched to see his decades of service to Nevada honored in recent weeks with the re-naming of Las Vegas’ airport in his honor. Harry was a devout family man and deeply loyal friend."

Advertisement

The Nevada senator became most well known for his use of the "nuclear option" in 2013, when he pushed for an end to the filibuster on executive branch nominees and judicial nominees outside of those nominated to the Supreme Court.

He also bucked his party a number of times regarding the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which he believed should be overturned, and played a central role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2009, leading efforts to unify all 60 members of the Democratic caucus in support of the legislation.

Current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement following news of Reid's death that the Nevada lawmaker "was one of the most amazing individuals I've ever met."

Reid is survived by his wife, Landra, and his five children: Rory Reid, Leif Reid, Key Reid, Josh Reid and Lana Reid.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement