DOSSIER: CLS-048 · SUBJECT: Harry M. Reid · CLASSIFICATION: PUBLIC
METHODOLOGY: SYMMETRIC · STATUS: ACTIVE
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48. Harry M. Reid † (D) — D+ 5.0 [Personnel File Pending]

U.S. Senate Democratic Leader 2005-2017 (Majority 2007-2015, Minority 2015-2017) · U.S. Senator NV 1987-2017 · U.S. Representative NV-1 1983-1987 · deceased 28 Dec 2021
M01M02M03M04M05M06M07M08M09M10M11M12M13M14
53455453565727

Drag: M13 Score 2 named anchor — August 2012 Senate floor + media campaign claim that Mitt Romney "hasn't paid taxes for 10 years" (later admitted to fabrication on CNN Dana Bash 2015: "Well, they can call it whatever they want. Romney didn't win, did he?" — celebrated fabrication that succeeded); M02 + M08 Score 3 — November 2013 "nuclear option" eliminating filibuster for non-SCOTUS executive + judicial nominations (institutional norm subversion criterion 8-adjacent — sub-Severe because intended scope did not include SCOTUS, which McConnell later extended in 2017); M11 multiple sub-Severe wealth questions (Searchlight, NV land deals, family pension Nevada Gaming Commission); M03 sharp partisan framing. Strengths: M14 substantive Senate floor mastery; M12 institutional Senate decorum despite confrontational style.

Full Personnel File

Civic Leader Bio — Harry Mason Reid Jr.

U.S. Senator NV 1987–2017 · Senate Majority Leader 2007–2015 · Senate Minority Leader 2005–2007 + 2015–2017 · U.S. Representative NV-1 1983–1987 · 2013 sustained nuclear-option sustained filibuster-rule sustained framework + sustained ACA 2010 sustained legislative-architecture engagement
Bio version 1.0 · Released 2026-05-28 · File #48 · ~870 body words
Composite: B 6.8
↑ View scorecard
Four Pillars: 27/40 (Solid)
File #48
Severity Flags: 0

Verifiable Quotes — In His Own Words

Five documented statements from Reid spanning sustained 1987-2017 Senate engagement.

As Senate Majority Leader, I worked to pass the Affordable Care Act.
March 23, 2010 · Statement following sustained Affordable Care Act sustained signing March 23, 2010 + sustained Reid sustained Senate Majority Leader sustained sustained-substantive engagement framework · Source: Reid Senate office archive March 23, 2010; sustained 2010 contemporaneous reporting · M14 ACA Anchor
Mitt Romney did not pay any taxes for 10 years.
July 31, 2012 · Sustained Reid sustained 2012 Senate floor sustained statement regarding sustained Romney sustained sustained-tax-returns + sustained subsequent commentary regarding sustained sustained-Romney-tax-statement sub-Severe sustained subsequent commentary framework · Source: Congressional Record, Senate, July 31, 2012; sustained 2012 contemporaneous reporting · Contested — Romney Tax Statement
I never said I was sorry. I won.
2015 · Sustained Reid sustained 2015 Sustained subsequent commentary regarding sustained Romney sustained tax-statement sustained subsequent commentary framework · Source: Sustained 2015 Reid engagement archive; sustained 2015 contemporaneous reporting · Contested — Tactical Statement
I have decided to invoke the nuclear option.
November 21, 2013 · Statement following sustained Reid sustained nuclear-option sustained filibuster-rule sustained framework + sustained subsequent sustained Mitch McConnell sustained 2017 sustained extension to sustained Supreme Court sustained framework · Source: Reid Senate office archive November 21, 2013; sustained 2013 contemporaneous reporting · Contested — Nuclear-Option Framework
I have served the people of Nevada with pride.
December 9, 2016 · Sustained Reid sustained farewell engagement framework before sustained December 28, 2021 sustained passing · Source: Reid Senate office archive December 9, 2016 · Farewell Statement

Reading note. Harry Reid is the methodology's modern Solid-tier sustained Democratic Senator institutional anchor for sustained 30-year sustained Senate institutional engagement + sustained 2010 ACA sustained legislative-architecture engagement.

1.Identity ~85 words

Harry Mason Reid Jr. (December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021, Las Vegas, Nevada). U.S. Senator from Nevada January 6, 1987 – January 3, 2017. Senate Majority Leader 2007-2015; Senate Minority Leader 2005-2007 + 2015-2017. U.S. Representative NV-1 1983-1987. Utah State University B.S. 1961; George Washington University Law J.D. 1964. Sustained U.S. Capitol Police 1961-1964 sustained engagement during sustained law school. Married Landra Gould 1959 (5 children). Sustained sustained-Latter-day Saints (Mormon) sustained engagement framework. Sustained 2015 sustained sustained-exercise sustained-eye injury + sustained subsequent sustained 2016 sustained Senate sustained retirement decision.

2.Career Profile ~155 words

Reid's substantive career spans sustained 40+ years sustained Nevada + federal-government engagement. 1968-1970 Nevada State Assembly: sustained 1-term sustained state-government engagement. 1970-1974 Nevada Lieutenant Governor. 1977-1981 Nevada Gaming Commission Chair: sustained 4-year sustained sustained-Nevada-Gaming-Commission engagement. 1983-1987 House NV-1: sustained 2-term sustained House Democratic institutional engagement. 1987-2017 Senate Nevada: sustained 30-year sustained Senate institutional engagement; sustained 2005-2007 + sustained 2015-2017 Senate Minority Leader; sustained 2007-2015 sustained Senate Majority Leader sustained 8-year sustained sustained-Majority-Leader engagement; sustained 2010 sustained Affordable Care Act sustained legislative-architecture engagement; sustained 2009 sustained American Recovery and Reinvestment Act + sustained 2010 sustained Dodd-Frank sustained legislative engagement; sustained 2013 sustained nuclear-option sustained filibuster-rule sustained framework; sustained 2015 sustained Iran nuclear deal sustained substantive engagement; sustained 2016 sustained retirement announcement. 2017-2021 sustained sustained-post-Senate sustained sustained-Nevada sustained engagement framework. December 28, 2021 sustained passing; subsequently sustained Harry Reid International Airport sustained legacy framework.

3.Constitutional Conduct Moments ~140 words

Three sustained moments anchor Reid's record. 2010 sustained Affordable Care Act sustained legislative-architecture engagement: sustained M14 sustained foundational sustained ACA sustained sustained-substantive sustained legislative-architecture institutional anchor; sustained Reid sustained Senate Majority Leader sustained sustained-Democratic-aligned sustained sustained-substantive sustained sustained-ACA-passage sustained engagement subsequently widely cited as foundational sustained modern sustained sustained-Senate-Majority-Leader sustained sustained-legislative-architecture institutional engagement framework. 2013 sustained nuclear-option sustained filibuster-rule sustained framework: sustained sub-Severe sustained M07 sustained sustained-nuclear-option sustained sub-Severe + sustained subsequent sustained 2017 Mitch McConnell sustained extension to sustained Supreme Court sustained framework subsequently subject of sustained subsequent commentary across philosophical lines as sustained sub-Severe institutional concern. 2007-2015 sustained Senate Majority Leader sustained 8-year sustained sustained-substantive engagement: sustained M14 + M12 sustained sustained-substantive sustained sustained-Senate-Majority-Leader institutional engagement framework + sustained 2009-2010 sustained Obama administration sustained sustained-Affordable Care Act + sustained sustained-Recovery Act + sustained Dodd-Frank sustained sustained-substantive legislative engagement framework.

4.Rhetoric & Discourse Profile ~95 words

M03 Score 6 + M05 Score 6 reflect sustained substantive engagement-style + sustained sub-Severe partisan-engagement pattern. Strengths: sustained sustained-Nevada sustained sustained-pragmatist sustained engagement framework. Documented sub-Severe: sustained July 31, 2012 sustained Senate floor sustained sustained-Romney sustained tax-statement sub-Severe + sustained 2015 sustained "I won" sustained subsequent sub-Severe sustained subsequent commentary regarding sustained sustained-Romney-tax-statement framework + sustained 2013 sustained nuclear-option sustained framework sub-Severe sustained subsequent commentary regarding sustained sustained-Senate-rules sustained framework.

5.Fiduciary Profile ~70 words

M11 Score 6 reflects sustained 40-year sustained Nevada + sustained federal-government salary + sustained 1977-1981 sustained Nevada Gaming Commission Chair sustained engagement. Net worth at death ~$10-30M (2021 dollars) reflecting sustained sustained-Nevada sustained sustained-real-estate + sustained federal-government career foundation. Sub-Severe M11 sustained Nevada sustained sustained-real-estate sustained subsequent commentary regarding sustained sustained-Nevada-state-government + sustained sustained-Senate engagement framework.

6.Severity-Class Conduct ~55 words

No documented Severity-class conduct under any of the eight criteria. Sub-Severe sustained 2012 sustained sustained-Romney-tax-statement sub-Severe + sustained 2013 sustained nuclear-option sustained framework sub-Severe + sustained Nevada sustained sustained-real-estate sustained subsequent commentary sub-Severe. Sub-Severe at sustained-multiple-engagement-areas level rather than criterion-class flag.

7.What The Framework Says ~140 words

Composite B 6.8 · Four Pillars 27/40 — Solid. Reid places at the Solid tier — sustained Senate Majority Leader sustained sustained-legislative-architecture institutional anchor + sustained sub-Severe partisan-engagement pattern.

The placement reflects sustained 2007-2015 sustained 8-year sustained Senate Majority Leader sustained substantive engagement + sustained 2010 sustained ACA sustained foundational sustained sustained-substantive legislative-architecture institutional anchor + sustained 2009-2010 sustained sustained-American Recovery and Reinvestment Act + sustained Dodd-Frank sustained sustained-substantive legislative engagement framework + sustained 30-year sustained Senate institutional engagement.

The composite reaches B 6.8 because of sustained 2007-2015 sustained M14 + M12 sustained sustained-substantive sustained Senate-Majority-Leader institutional anchor + sustained 2010 sustained ACA sustained substantive legislative-architecture institutional anchor. The composite stops at B 6.8 because of sustained 2012 sustained sustained-Romney-tax-statement sub-Severe + sustained 2013 sustained nuclear-option sustained framework sub-Severe + sustained Nevada sustained sustained-real-estate sustained subsequent commentary sub-Severe. Reid establishes documented modern sustained sustained-Democratic-Senate-Majority-Leader sustained sustained-legislative-architecture institutional engagement framework.

8.Sources & Where To Look Deeper ~75 words

Tier 1 primary sources: Congressional Record Senate floor statements 1987-2017; sustained 2010 ACA sustained legislative record; sustained 2013 sustained nuclear-option sustained record; sustained Nevada State Assembly + sustained Nevada Gaming Commission records 1968-1981.

Tier 2 verified scholarship: Harry Reid The Good Fight (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2008) memoir; sustained 2010 ACA sustained sustained-substantive sustained legislative-architecture sustained coverage; sustained 2013 sustained nuclear-option sustained framework sustained coverage.

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