Here’s an interesting number from the new Mason-Dixon poll of Nevada, which showed that Sen. John Ensign’s (R-NV) favorable rating has fallen to a paltry 39% in the wake of the news about this affair: He’s still more popular than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
As it turns out, Reid’s own favorable rating is only 34%. And of course, nothing has happened recently to call Reid’s personal life into question. And the polls are much more important for Reid, because he’s up for re-election in 2010.
The interesting thing is that while Reid has consistently lousy ratings back home, he currently has the advantage of not having any real opponent. The Nevada GOP has been battered in recent elections, and no Republican has stepped up to the plate to challenge him — for example, former Rep. Jon Porter, who was defeated in 2008, recently took himself out of the running. And Reid has millions of dollars in the bank, as well, which can both ward off opponents and of course overpower anyone who does emerge.
