WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has died at the age of 82.
Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, served in the Senate from 1987 to 2017. He was the party’s leader in the chamber from 2007 to 2015.
Reid, who passed away Tuesday after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer, was one of Congress’ most skilled negotiators, thriving on the behind-the-scenes wrangling that frustrated many of his predecessors. As majority leader, he kept the Senate in Democratic hands through a volatile era of polarizing health care and economic policy, recession and war, and with a Republican and then a Democratic president.
Funeral arrangements will be announced in coming days.
“Harry Reid was one of the most amazing individuals I have ever met,” said current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “He was tough-as-nails strong, but caring and compassionate, and always went out of his way quietly to help people who needed help. He was a boxer who came from humble origins, but he never forgot where he came from and used those boxing instincts to fearlessly fight those who were hurting the poor and the middle class.”
President Joe Biden on Tuesday also remembered his time with Reid.
“I’ve had the honor of serving with some of the all-time great Senate Majority Leaders in our history. Harry Reid was one of them. And for Harry, it wasn’t about power for power’s sake. It was about the power to do right for the people.”
Over a 34-year career in Washington, Reid thrived on behind-the-scenes wrangling and kept the Senate controlled by his party through two presidents — Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama — a crippling recession and the Republican takeover of the House after the 2010 elections.
Reid reluctantly retired rather than seek reelection in 2016 after an accident while he was exercising left him blind in one eye. His life after public office included a fellowship at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, law school and a role leading a new think tank at the school with former House Speaker John Boehner. The Ohio Republican and former congressional rival remembered Reid on Tuesday as “a fighter until the end.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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