To understand Harry Reid, you must look to the small mining town of Searchlight, Nevada.

There in the desert, more than an hour away from the bright lights of Las Vegas, is where he was born and raised.

Searchlight is where Harry Reid watched his father work as a hard rock miner. It’s where he attended a school with one teacher for eight grades. And it’s where he learned Nevada values like hard work, opportunity and independence.

Today Harry Reid is the Democratic Leader in the U.S. Senate, a man who commands the respect of colleagues from both parties, and a powerful advocate for Nevada’s middle-class families.

But he still lives in Searchlight … and he is still guided by the lessons and values he learned there.

The Las Vegas Sun newspaper summarized Reid’s story by saying that he “has gone from underdog to Senate’s top dog.”

Parade Magazine, the nation’s largest weekly magazine, identified Senator Reid as one of a handful of leaders in Washington with “integrity and guts.”

Since Nevadans elected him to the Senate in 1986, Harry Reid has developed a reputation as a consensus builder and a skillful legislator. Even his Republican colleagues praise his reasoned, balanced approach.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has said, “We all respect Senator Reid. He is one of the moderate voices around here who tries to get things to work.”

And former GOP Leader Trent Lott said, “Harry Reid is out there finding a solution. I enjoy working with him very much.”

Reid enjoys a close working relationship with Nevada’s junior U.S. Senator, Republican John Ensign. Despite the fact that they belong to different political parties, they share a commitment to Nevada families and businesses. In fact, Senators Reid and Ensign co-host a weekly breakfast in the U.S. Capitol every Thursday that the Senate is in session, and Nevadans visiting Washington D.C. are always welcome.

After Nevadans re-elected Reid to a third Senate term in 1998, he was chosen by his colleagues to serve as the Assistant Democratic Leader, also known as the “Whip.” And after he won a fourth term in 2004 by a wide margin, he was unanimously elected Senate Democratic Leader.

Reid is using that position to stand up for values such as opportunity, personal responsibility, and security – the same values he learned as a boy in Searchlight.

Harry Reid isn’t afraid to speak his mind - but he isn’t afraid to listen, either.

Like the desert country that formed him, he doesn’t cry out for attention. He’s soft spoken - but when he talks, people listen.

He has earned the trust of both Democrats and Republicans, and his reputation for integrity and fairness has given the small state of Nevada a powerful voice in Congress.

Standing Tall For Nevada

Since he came to the Senate in 1986, Harry Reid has built a strong record of accomplishments for the people of Nevada.

To protect our senior citizens, he passed a ban on “source taxes” of out-of-state pensions. He has fought to provide help with prescription drug costs, and to protect Medicare and Social Security.

To honor our commitment to America’s veterans, he has fought to repeal the policy that deducted disability benefits from earned military retirement pay.

To make America stronger, he has used his seniority in the Senate to secure additional funds for Nevada’s military installations, and to establish a national training center for first responders at the Nevada Test Site.

To open the door of opportunity for our children, he has secured more federal resources for education, including programs to make classes smaller so students can get more individual attention, and reduce the dropout rate.

To keep our families healthy, he has worked to cut health care costs, improve the quality of care, and expand coverage. He has fought for a Patient's Bill of Rights, increased cancer research, suicide prevention and mental health initiatives.

To preserve Nevada’s beauty and keep our air and water clean, he has worked to protect Lake Tahoe, Lake Mead, Red Rock Canyon and other natural treasures.

To reduce traffic congestion that steals time from our families and work, he has secured funding for highways and new transportation choices like the Las Vegas Monorail and the MAX bus service.

And because Senator Reid knows that a good quality of life starts with a good job, he has worked to help small business, as well as major Nevada industries like tourism and mining.

Taken together, the work and achievements of Senator Reid have made Nevada a better place to live, work and raise a family.

A Focus on Family

Harry Reid was born in the small rural mining town of Searchlight, raised in a small cabin without indoor plumbing, and attended a two-room elementary school.

As a small boy he would accompany his father for long days deep underground in the mines. His father was a hardrock miner with an 8th grade education and his mother never completed high school; yet the youngest of Harry and Inez Reid's four sons would go on to achieve the American dream.

Searchlight had no high school, so after eighth grade, Harry began attending Basic High School in Henderson, where he boarded with local families during the school week.

It was at Basic that he met Landra Gould, who became his high-school sweetheart. In 1959, two years after they had graduated from Basic, Harry and Landra were married. In 1961, their first child and only daughter – Lana - was born. Son Rory was born in 1962, and three more brothers followed - Leif, Josh, and Key.

Basic High was also where Reid met a teacher named Mike O’Callaghan who would play many roles in his life: teacher, boxing coach, political mentor, trusted advisor and best friend.

After high school, some businessmen in Henderson helped him go on to college, an act of generosity that Harry Reid would work hard to repay in the coming years. He graduated from Utah State University in 1961 and went on to get a law degree from George Washington University. During these years as a law student, Reid supported his young family by working nights as a U.S. Capitol police officer.

After completing law school, the Reids headed back to Henderson where Harry served as the City Attorney, revising the city charter and working on extending Henderson's boundaries by acquiring federal land. His outstanding record helped him win an election to the Nevada State Assembly in 1968, at age 28.

In Carson City, the young assemblyman introduced the first air pollution legislation in Nevada’s history and also worked on laws to protect consumers. In 1970, at the age of 30, Harry Reid became the youngest Lieutenant Governor in Nevada history, winning election as Governor Mike O’Callaghan’s running mate.

In 1977 he was appointed Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, where for five years he made headlines with his legendary and unrelenting fight to clean up Nevada's gaming industry.

Reid returned to his private law practice for a few years, then won the first of two terms in the United States House of Representatives in 1982. In the House, he championed issues important to Nevada families, introducing the Taxpayer Bill of Rights as well as legislation to protect Nevada's wilderness.

He was elected to the Senate in 1986, and re-elected in 1992, 1998 and 2004. He has served as the chairman or senior Democratic member on several important committees and subcommittees.

Reid is a tireless worker, and it isn’t unusual for him to be the first Senator of either party to arrive at the Capitol in the morning and the last to go home at night.

Despite the demands of his career in government, Harry Reid's family has always been his first priority. The bonds forged in the tight-knit family have only grown stronger as the Reid children have grown up, embarked on their own careers, and started their own families.

Today, Senator Reid and Landra are the proud grandparents of 15 grandchildren.