The recent Mason-Dixon poll of Nevada finds that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid continues to be in trouble for his 2010 re-election bid — and what’s more, his son Rory, a Clark County (Las Vegas) commissioner, isn’t polling well for his gubernatorial campaign, either.
The Senate race poll found Harry Reid trailing Republican Sue Lowden by 51%-41%, and trailing Republican Danny Tarkanian by 48%-42%. In the gubernatorial poll, Rory Reid trailed Republican frontrunner Brian Sandoval by 49%-34%, and came in third place in a potential three-way race involving Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman as an independent: Goodman 35%, Sandoval 32%, Rory Reid 24%.
To the best of my knowledge, this could be the first time ever that a father and son have been on a statewide ballot before, and it’s a case of some very high-profile politicians, too. It does present some interesting potential ramifications — that the two could end up rising or falling together.
“Harry Reid has always been kind of a cat on a hot tin roof here,” said UNLV political science professor Ted G. Jelen, regarding the Senator’s lackluster poll numbers, in an interview with TPM. “He’s never been particularly comfortable. He has been winning elections, but it is a swing state, and it’s also difficult to run in a swing state from a leadership position.”
Would Reid have an easier time, I asked Jelen, if he weren’t the Majority Leader — that is, if he were simply a four-term Democratic Senator from Nevada, with some solid committee assignments that gave him the ability to deliver for the state? “Yeah, absolutely because he could pick his agenda,” said Jelen. “If he wasn’t Majority Leader, he could choose which issues he wanted to get out front on, but as Majority Leader with a president from the same party, he’s really not setting his own agenda, he has to work with Obama. And the health care thing, I think is really hurting him. Nevada is not really a conservative state, but it’s a a libertarian state, so all the stuff [political attacks] about government takeovers, that sort of stuff goes over well here.”
So would the presence of both father and son on the ballot cause harm to one, which would not have happened otherwise? “I’m not sure, but just to speculate, I think it might hurt Rory a little bit. Harry Reid’s image is pretty well set,” Jelen explained, while Rory would be more of a blank slate to voters statewide.
I asked a source in the Harry Reid campaign whether they’ve considered the possible complications of this political situation. The source said that there is not any communication or relationship between the two campaigns, and it’s not something that the Harry Reid campaign has factored into their calculations.
In an official statement, the Harry Reid campaign brushed off the poll result: “We’ve always said we will run an aggressive campaign that includes early television and this is just the beginning. Sen. Reid is fighting to make Nevada stronger every day and his leadership position is particularly important during these tough economic times. We’re confident that as voters begin to understand the clear choice between his leadership for Nevada and Republican candidates with no new ideas, they will ultimately decide that Nevada is best served by re-electing Sen. Reid next November.”
The Rory Reid campaign also had a statement: “There will be many polls conducted over the next 11 months. Rory Reid is focused on talking to Nevada’s voters about the issues that matter most – like the economy, jobs and education. He will continue sharing his vision for our future and building a strong network of volunteers throughout the state.”
