Former Democrat Senate Leader Harry Reid dies at 82

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Democrat from Nevada, has died at age 82.

Reid’s wife, Landra Reid, announced in a Tuesday statement, “I am heartbroken to announce the passing of my husband, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He died peacefully this afternoon, surrounded by our family, following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer.”

Elected to the Senate in 1986, Reid served as Senate Majority Whip from 1999 to 2005, held the Democrat leadership position in the Senate from 2005 to 2017 in both the minority and majority.

Reid’s legacy in the Senate is his ability to join with his colleagues and fight for difficult legislative measures. Most notable, perhaps, was his effort to assist Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in quashing former President George W. Bush’s plan to replace Social Security. 

In a statement issued by the White House this week, President Joe Biden said of Reid, “He was a man of action, and a man of his word — guided by faith, loyalty, and unshakeable resolve.”