Reid confident in his bid for minority leader

David Kihara and Benjamin Grove

Thursday, Nov. 4, 2004 | 11:04 a.m.

It's a done deal.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev, said Wednesday that he will soon become the Senate minority leader -- the highest ranking Democrat in the Senate. The man considered to be his only serious rival for the position also said Reid will get the job.

The Democrats' current leader, South Dakota's Tom Daschle, lost in Tuesday's election.

Reid, who won his own race in a landslide, said Wednesday that a majority of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate have already committed their support to him and he is enthusiastic about working as the top Democrat in the Senate.

"I have commitments from more than 30 senators to replace Tom Daschle to be the new leader of the Democratic senate," Reid said Wednesday at the George Federal Building. "I really am enthusiastic about the year, the new legislative year.

He said things will be different under his leadership. "I'm not Tom Daschle. I'm Harry Reid," he said.

Reid, who had been rumored to be one of several possible Democratic senators to fill the leadership position, said he was certain he would move into the top spot after he spoke to Daschle by phone about 3 a.m. Wednesday morning and learned that his longtime colleague would not win re-election in South Dakota. First thing this morning, Reid started making telephone calls to his fellow Democratic senators to win their support.

Reid said he also received a telephone call Wednesday morning from President Bush.

"He had no reason to call me, other than the fact that he knows he's going to have to work with me," Reid said. "I look forward to working with him."

When asked if there would be any difficulties working with the Republican president -- a president Reid has harshly criticized in the past -- Reid said, "as I've explained to members of the press, I've disagreed with things he's done. But there is no need to talk about the disagreements at this stage. We have to work together and the president has reached out to me."

The most likely challenger to Reid for the Senate leadership position, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, announced on Wednesday that he will not seek the ranking Democratic position and supports Reid. Speaking to CNN on Wednesday afternoon, Dodd said that most Democrats in the Senate support Reid.

Nevada's other senator, John Ensign, R-Nev., said there is little doubt Reid will be the next Democratic leader and that's great news for Nevada. Reid will have even more power to dictate how the issues most important to the state are handled in the Senate, from Yucca Mountain budget issues to mining and gaming issues, Ensign said.

Ensign and Reid have formed a well-publicized bond. The two lawmakers have worked together for four years despite the otherwise bitter partisanship in the Senate.

Still, the two have strong differences of opinion and voting records on a number of issues, though they have generally avoided discussing those issues. If Reid becomes the Democrats' highest-profile spokesman, it seems likely that it could weaken his relationship with Ensign, one of the most conservative voices in the senate.

Ensign, though, predicted that "we will still have our agreement that we won't criticize each other in public. He has to do what he has to do."

David Damore, UNLV assistant professor of political science, said Reid's elevation will help Nevada and "puts Nevada in the spotlight."

He said that spotlight could be a double-edged sword, however, because Reid "essentially becomes the opposition leader to the Republicans."

And, because Reid is not as "media-genic" as some of his Republican counterparts such as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., he may not be as effective as his predecessor, who was willing to always be in the media eye, Damore said.

But Reid has other advantages, such as the anti-abortion stance he shares with Republicans, that may help create a more bipartisan atmosphere, Damore said.

"Reid, from a Republican state, is more in tune with the Republicans and knows where they are coming from," he said.

Two of the Republicans that know Reid well, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn and Rep. Jim Gibbons from Northern Nevada, agreed that having Reid as minority leader of the Senate will benefit Nevada.

Guinn said that "Harry" has always "helped in making contacts with the opposing party."

And Gibbons said he has long worked closely with Reid and Ensign.

Although Reid would not go into detail Wednesday about the Democratic agenda for the future, he told reporters that the war in Iraq, keeping the peace in America, killing or capturing terrorists and domestic issues such as health care and the environment are all slated to be on the agenda.

"Without belaboring the point, we have a Democratic agenda that is a work in progress," he said.

During the news conference, Reid also briefly mentioned the Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility, the topic that has made for the most high-profile dispute with President Bush.

Bush supports using Yucca Mountain to store the nation's nuclear waste, and Reid has for years said he has two words for Yucca proponents: "No way."

Although Yucca Mountain became the campaign issue used by Democrats as a rallying cry against the republicans, it was an issue that apparently didn't resonate with enough voters, Reid said.

"Yucca Mountain is an issue that we will continue to work on," Reid said. "There isn't a great deal we can do legislatively. I'll have to do it other ways. Yucca Mountain is something I feel very strongly about (but) the people of the state of Nevada had a decision to make. They thought other things were more important. And I understand that."

Ensign said the Yucca Mountain issue helped Democrats during the election.

"Without Yucca Mountain, it wouldn't have been a close race in Nevada," he said, adding that it might have been a seven- to 10-point lead for Bush without Yucca Mountain.