Harry Reid Seen Losing 2010 Reelection, Poll Shows
Emily Miller
Columnist
Posted:
08/24/09
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) would lose his re-election by a large margin to either of his potential Republican challengers if the voting were held today, according to a new poll.
Reid is up for re-election to a fifth term in 2010. President Obama works closely with the Senate majority leader to push his legislative agenda, so Reid's troubles, which include an extremely low approval rating in his home state, have ramifications beyond his own seat.
Reid is up for re-election to a fifth term in 2010. President Obama works closely with the Senate majority leader to push his legislative agenda, so Reid's troubles, which include an extremely low approval rating in his home state, have ramifications beyond his own seat.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal statewide poll shows that Nevadans favor Republican Danny Tarkanian over Reid, 49 percent to 38 percent, and Republican Sue Lowden over the incumbent, 45 percent to 40 percent.
Reid's current approval ratings are also very low, according to the Review-Journal, with 50 percent of voters saying they have an unfavorable view of him and only 37 percent of respondents saying they have a favorable opinion.
The majority leader's role in pushing Obama's policies through Congress has made him more vulnerable at home because he is linked to the unpopular health care reform and economic packages.
Winning "becomes more difficult when you are actually the one having to carry the water for the president," Richard Davis, a political science professor at Brigham Young University, told the paper. Reid "has got to get something out of the Obama administration that he can claim as his own."
Neither of Reid's potential Republican opponents has declared their candidacy, but both are laying the groundwork for a campaign. Lowden is chairwoman of the state Republican Party, and Tarkanian is a real estate professional and former UNLV basketball player who previously ran for secretary of state and the state Senate. The new poll of Republican primary voters shows Tarkanian is by far the leading contender, with 33 percent to Lowden's 14 percent, while 47 percent of respondents are still undecided.
With the election over a year away, Reid's team plans to raise $25 million for his campaign, emphasize he can bring new jobs to Nevada -- which has an unemployment rate of almost 13 percent -- and will use his national profile to raise voter turnout.
"He fights for Nevada on those issues and others every day, and he'll continue that battle to get our economy back on track," Reid spokesman Jon Summers told the paper.
Republican strategist and Lowden supporter Robert Uithoven, however, responded that "a lot of what drives support toward Senator Reid is fear in this state. And I don't think fear is a good motivation for voters."
No matter who wins the GOP primary, November 2010 will likely be Reid's toughest election yet.
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