A Q & A with the Aggie who's the new U.S. Senate minority leader

By Stephanie H. Olsen

November 23, 2004 | Senator Harry Reid has served Nevada for 18 years and was named the Senate minority leader for the Demorcatic Party after the national elections toppled Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota. In an exclusive interview with Senator Reid, we asked about his roots, his vote on a gay marriage amendment, and how he became a Utah State Aggie. Reid graduated with a bachelor's degree from USU in 1961.

Hard News Cafe: How did you get from Searchlight, Nev., to Logan, Utah?

Reid: I went to Utah State on an academic scholarship [after completing an associate's degree at Southern Utah University]. We enjoyed living there.

Hard News Cafe: How did you first get interested in politics?

Reid: The most important election of my life was my junior year of high school. I was elected as class treasurer. It had such a big impact on my life because I knew I had been accepted by my peers.

Hard News Cafe: How did you choose which political party you wanted to be a part of?

Reid: My parents were raised during the Great Depression. They loved President [Franklin] Roosevelt. I wanted to help people like them. That’s why I became a Democrat.

Hard News Cafe: The question that is on every Latter-day Saint voter's mind is why Sen. Harry Reid [a member of the LDS church] would vote "no" on the constitutional amendment in opposition to same sex marriage?

Reid: Personally, I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I believe in the sacredness of marriage and in the sacred nature of the Constitution. In Nevada's constitutional law, it states that marriage is between a man and a woman. In addition to the state law we have a national Defense of Marriage Act. This act says that states do not have to recognize the marriage laws of another state. Everyone in the Senate knew that. Everyone knew that the amendment had no chance of passing -- none. Since we have been a country, about 11,500 attempts have been made to amend the [U.S.] Constitution. We have amended it only 17 times [not counting the original Bill of Rights]. The Republicans knew the amendment wouldn't pass. Being a Democratic leader, I said, 'Let's vote on it. Let's vote on the constitutional amendment that you have right now.' And they wouldn't let us. They would not let us vote on it then, because they knew they would lose 12 to 15 Republicans because the amendment was poorly written. And they wouldn't do it. So the Republicans decided to invoke cloture to end debate and force a procedural vote. So we voted on it. And my vote on this issue has left my conscience as clear as the driven snow.

Hard News Cafe: If a better amendment were brought to the Senate on the same issue, would you approve it?

Reid: I would take a look at it. I am just not wild about amending the Constitution. Why do we need to do it right now?

Hard News Cafe: What do you want our readers and would-be voters to know about you?

Reid: I would want them to know that I recognize the importance of my job. I know what an honor it is to serve in the United States Senate and represent the people of Nevada.

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