Biography:

Harry Reid was born in Searchlight, Nev., and resides there. He received an associate degree in science at Southern Utah State College in 1959 and a bachelor's degree at Utah State University in 1961. He received a law degree from George Washington University in 1964.

He practiced law, serving as Henderson city attorney from 1964 to 1966. He then served in the Nevada Assembly from 1969 to 1970. Reid was elected lieutenant governor of Nevada in 1970 and was chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981.

Reid was elected to the U.S. House in 1982 and served two terms before his successful run for the U.S. Senate in 1986.

Reid and his wife, Landra, have five children.

Past Campaigns:

Harry Reid was elected to the Nevada state assembly in 1968, and in 1970 won his first statewide contest to become Nevada's lieutenant governor.

In 1974, he narrowly lost a U.S. Senate race to Paul Laxalt, and lost a race for mayor of Las Vegas a year later. Reid then served as chairman of the state Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981.

He was elected to the U.S. House in 1982, with 57.5 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Peggy Cavnar, a former state assemblywoman, in a newly designed district. Reid was re-elected in 1984, with 56.1 percent of the vote, beating Cavnar again.

Reid was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, with 51.9 percent of the vote, defeating Republican James D. Santini, a former congressman.

Incumbent Republican Sen. Paul Laxalt retired instead of running for re-election that year. Reid easily won a second term in the Senate in 1992, defeating Republican Demar Dahl by more than 53,000 votes.

In winning a third term in 1998, Reid squeaked by challenger John Ensign, a Republican congressman, by just 428 votes out of more than 400,000 cast.

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