NV Sen: Reid Might No Longer Be a Dead Man Walking

For months, Sen. Harry Reid's poll numbers have been terrible, and he looked destined to lose his seat. Several polls by various organizations showed the Senate Majority Leader often trailing likely Republican opponents by 10 points or more. Yet recently, his poll numbers have gone from terrible to merely mediocre. A new Mason-Dixon poll sponsored by the “Las Vegas Review-Journal” has him almost tied with his possible Republican challengers Sue Lowden, Danny Tarkanian and Sharron Angle.

Reid 39%
Lowden 42%

Reid 42%
Angle 39%

Reid 41%
Tarkanian 42%

These are not good numbers. Reid is trailing two of the Republicans, although he’s within the poll’s margin of error of four percent. He is also well below 50 percent, which is a dangerous place for an incumbent. These poll numbers are just not as awful as they once were, making the race at least appear winnable for Reid.

Reid's chances of holding on to the seat are closely tied to who ends up winning the Republican primary on June 8. Currently, the primary is a toss-up. The same poll shows all three top Republicans have a chance of winning. Lowden is considered to be the strongest general election challenger, but the recent “chickens for checkups” flap and a possible FEC violation related to the donated use of a RV have hurt her. Angle is very conservative and currently polls the worst against Reid.

Lowden 30%
Angle 29%
Tarkanian 23%

The Republican Nevada Senate primary is one of many major primary elections taking place June 8, making that date the most important in politics between now and November.