Harry Reid, a former American lawyer, and politician who was a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017 and led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 died at 82, leaving behind an enduring legacy.
The official was a poor kid from Nowhere, U.S., escaping his struggle-filled beginnings and later becoming the state's youngest-ever lieutenant governor. He then lost both a U.S. Senate race (by 600 votes) and a mayoral race (in a landslide). But he was resurrected by his mentor, Gov. Mike O'Callaghan, and served as the state's top casino regulator.
Harry Reid's Legacy
At the time, he confronted the mob and both helped and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He is also known for seizing a new congressional seat to return to elected politics. Reid won the same Senate seat he previously lost 12 years earlier and garnered more achievements than anyone from Nevada had long done before, Politico reported.
Reid's cause of death was pancreatic cancer, a disease that he has been fighting for four years. The late official's wife, Landra, released a statement that described her husband as a "devout family man and deeply loyal friend." She said that Reid passed away peacefully while being surrounded by his family.
In 2018, many believed that Reid was nearing the end of his life when he underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer, which has one of the lowest survival rates. However, last summer, the late senator announced that he underwent experimental surgery and was declared in "complete remission" and cancer-free.
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"We greatly appreciate the outpouring of support from so many over these past few years. We are especially grateful for the doctors and nurses that cared for him. Please know that meant the world to him," said Landra, The Nevada Independent reported.
Premier Political Strategist
During his lifetime, Reid distinguished himself as one of the Obama-era Democratic Party's premier political strategists. Compared to other U.S. senators, the Nevada official led an uncommonly colorful life.
Despite his vast power and influence, Reid was never a high-profile public figure and was not known for his stump speeches. He was a relatively rare presence on national television and was not a go-to source of quips on Capitol Hill.
But Reid is most likely remembered over other Democrats in the 21st century due to his clear-eyed view of the structural transformations of American politics. He also believed in accepting the world how it was while still struggling to fight with the objective of winning.
In contrast to his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, Reid leaves a substantive legacy of positive achievements instead of tactical blocking moves. In his home state of Nevada, Reid was known as the architect and maestro of the Democratic Party's most successful exercise in party-building.
While Reid started his Senate career as a moderate representing a mostly Republican state, he later became a progressive senator from a blueish state and became the leader of a "Reid Machine" who had a record of political successes that outlasted him, Vox reported.
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