Harry Reid retires!!!

[DrScholl]

2016 is not a midterm, unless Republicans somehow changed the rules when no one was paying attention, so that doesn't exactly equal easy win for Republicans. I would bet heavily on Democrats holding it.

[ElectionsGuy]

Awsome, thank you. Now this will be one of the most exciting seats in 2016.

[IceSpear]

Excellent news! Dem chances of holding this seat increase without the albatross of Reid's godawful approval ratings.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

2016 is not a midterm, unless Republicans somehow changed the rules when no one was paying attention, so that doesn't exactly equal easy win for Republicans. I would bet heavily on Democrats holding it.

Excellent news! Dem chances of holding this seat increase without the albatross of Reid's godawful approval ratings.

Both Sabato and Rothenberg agree that this seat is more vulnerable without Reid. Let's face it, if Masto doesn't run, the rest of the dem bench really sucks.

[Donerail]

I too am shocked and appalled that a party leader would act in a partisan manner. Never would've expected a party leader to be a strong supporter of their own party.

Anyways, might be marginally good for Dems in terms of holding Nevada, but undoubtedly negative for Dems to have Chuck Schumer as their public face.

[IceSpear]

2016 is not a midterm, unless Republicans somehow changed the rules when no one was paying attention, so that doesn't exactly equal easy win for Republicans. I would bet heavily on Democrats holding it.

Excellent news! Dem chances of holding this seat increase without the albatross of Reid's godawful approval ratings.

Both Sabato and Rothenberg agree that this seat is more vulnerable without Reid. Let's face it, if Masto doesn't run, the rest of the dem bench really sucks.

That's not surprising they think that. "muh incumbency"

But in reality, Reid's deep unpopularity was going to cause significant crossover against him provided he faced credible opposition. Masto won't start in such a hole. The bench does look extremely thin after the 2014 wipe out, but since Masto is likely running, it shouldn't be an issue.

[Simfan34]

Everyone take off your partisan glasses and look at facts. Reid was an atrocious leader. He blocked amendment discussion left and right, filed the tree like nothing else, pushed only his party's agenda through, and shat on the minority's rights.

Who knows? Maybe we can finally get a damn Fed audit now.

You're not serious, are you?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Senate Leader Schumer and Presidential nominee Clinton? Well, the party is no longer pretending to not be total pawns of Wall Street.

[Rockefeller GOP]

Praise the Lord!!! The senate is forever improved!

Except Reid was one of the best Majority Leaders of recent times. Leaps and bounds better than Frist, the racist Lott, and of course McConnell.

Heck, if we're naming bad and racist majority leaders like Lott, I'll toss in the forum's favorite Klansman Robert Byrd.

No Byrd is a Democrat. He can do no wrong!

Bringing up the fact that Byrd was a Democrat is not acknowledging party realignment ever happened.

Party realignment happens all the time.  Party SWITCHING - which some are actually simplistic and ignorant enough to argue pretty much happened - never happened, and will never happen.  Robert Byrd was a racist liberal; they can exist.  Period.

And yes, he "fully recanted," but who hasn't?!  I don't see anyone giving people like Strom Thurmond a pass; it's just inconvenient for your narrative that a former Klansman who voted against the CRA was saying things like "I've known a lot of White n*ggers" as late as 2001 and was the leader of Senate Democrats as late as 2009...

[free my dawg]

Praise the Lord!!! The senate is forever improved!

Except Reid was one of the best Majority Leaders of recent times. Leaps and bounds better than Frist, the racist Lott, and of course McConnell.

Heck, if we're naming bad and racist majority leaders like Lott, I'll toss in the forum's favorite Klansman Robert Byrd.

No Byrd is a Democrat. He can do no wrong!

Bringing up the fact that Byrd was a Democrat is not acknowledging party realignment ever happened.

Party realignment happens all the time.  Party SWITCHING - which some are actually simplistic and ignorant enough to argue pretty much happened - never happened, and will never happen.  Robert Byrd was a racist liberal; they can exist.  Period.

And yes, he "fully recanted," but who hasn't?!  I don't see anyone giving people like Strom Thurmond a pass; it's just inconvenient for your narrative that a former Klansman who voted against the CRA was saying things like "I've known a lot of White n*ggers" as late as 2001 and was the leader of Senate Democrats as late as 2009...

...yeah, and this isn't racist because?

[RogueBeaver]

Laxalt confirms out.

[badgate]

I REALLY hope Ruben Kihuen runs

[IceSpear]

Ralston agrees this helps the Dems' chances of holding the seat.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Brewer]

I wonder what the chances of Warren throwing her hat in the ring are?

[cinyc]

Good riddance to a real HP.  And good luck to Democrats with the obnoxious Chuck Schumer as Minority Leader.  The face of the party will be "progressives" from San Francisco and New York City.  That will play real well in the rest of the country.

[badgate]

I wonder what the chances of Warren throwing her hat in the ring are?

Fairly low. I'm rooting for Patty Murray

[Pandaguineapig]

Do any of you guys think Cortez Masto's defense of Nevada's gay marriage ban could make an opening for Titus in the primary?

[free my dawg]

Do any of you guys think Cortez Masto's defense of Nevada's gay marriage ban could make an opening for Titus in the primary?

Absolutely. Masto is hardly a juggernaut.

[publicunofficial]

Do any of you guys think Cortez Masto's defense of Nevada's gay marriage ban could make an opening for Titus in the primary?

Old news, and most people accept that Masto was just doing her job.

I think Reid's endorsement seriously kills any chance at an upset by Titus or anyone else. He IS the Nevada Democratic Party.

[Gass3268]

Everyone take off your partisan glasses and look at facts. Reid was an atrocious leader. He blocked amendment discussion left and right, filed the tree like nothing else, pushed only his party's agenda through, and shat on the minority's rights.

So you're saying he was a great leader, okay!

What is good about blocking amendments from your own party? Reid hardly ever allowed amendments from even those in his own party, because he only wanted his caucus to take the easiest, easiest votes.

His goal was to make sure that legislation was passed. Unfortunately the amendment process was just a way for Republcians to introduce poison pill amendments that would have killed most Democratic legislation. Also what's the problem from preventing your caucus from having to take politically harmful votes? He was the Democratic leader that controlled the Senate, he's supposed to make things eaiser for his own members and harder for the otherside. He's not supposed to be some fair independent arbitor like a Speaker in the UK or Canada.

Wrong. Amendments are the lifeblood of bills. It allows individual senators to have their voices heard and openly debated, and no, his job is NOT to obstruct the other side. Partisan crap like that is what is making Congress a joke. Open debate. Open amendments. Talk. Compromise. That is what we need to solve our problems, not people like you who focus on scoring political points.

You dodged my question. What's good about blocking amendments from DEMOCRATS, as reid almost always did?

If you allow your side to put forward amendments you have to allow the other side, hence the poison pills.

I feel like the Huffington Post knows what's up. We are truly losing The Master of the Senate.

[Ebsy]

Republicans despise him so much because he was terribly effective as majority leader.

[Pandaguineapig]

Republicans despise him so much because he was terribly effective as majority leader.

Or maybe because he's super corrupt, stifled any type of debate, and went full joe Mccarthy on Mitt Romney

[Gass3268]

Republicans despise him so much because he was terribly effective as majority leader.

Pretty much, the more the hate the more you know he did his job extremely well.

[publicunofficial]

Anyone who thinks the Majority Leader's job is to work with the Minority and to encourage debate is a naïve moron. The Majority Leader's job is to keep the majority party out of the minority, and making sure as few Minority party bills see the floor as possible.

I hate Mitch McConnell, but Mitch McConnell doesn't and shouldn't care what I or any other Democrat thinks.

[RogueBeaver]

Masto profile: Low-key, competent, EMILY's List-supported Generic D.