A recent Mason-Dixon poll released August 23 shows Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in deep political trouble.
In the poll, if the election were held today, he might lose to either of two politically little-known opponents, Republican Danny Tarkanian and Sue Lowden, the state GOP chairwoman.
Tarkanian, who is a former University of Nevada-Las Vegas basketball star and son of a famous coach there, leads Reid 49 percent to 38 percent, with 13 percent undecided.
Lowden is also ahead, 45 percent to 40 percent, with 15 percent undecided.
The poll was taken August 17 and 18.
Is Reid destined to follow the path of former Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, who lost a tough re-election battle in 2004?
Not necessarily.
Reid represents a challenging purple state with a rapidly growing population. In addition, he represents 58 Democrats (plus two independents) in Washington, DC whose views are not always embraced by Nevada residents.
But the Majority Leader has always known he could face a tough contest and has already scared out formidable opponents.
Moreover, at the end of June, Reid had $7.3 million in the bank. That buys a lot of ads targeted at the weaknesses of his opponents, who have little or no money in campaign treasuries. While Tarkanian is ahead in the poll, he is already a two-time loser in state politics, including for state senate.
So don’t count out former boxer Harry Reid just yet.
