What does it mean that Harry Reid will be the U.S. Senate's majority leader? More specifically, what does it mean for Nevada?

First of all, it's a historic achievement. Reid is ascending to the highest political position a Nevadan has ever held, eclipsing the peaks reached by legends such as Pat McCarran and Paul Laxalt.

McCarran, for whom our airport is named, was an extremely powerful senator from 1933 to 1954. He chaired the Judiciary Committee, which he used to conduct witch hunts of alleged communists.

"But he also used the position to make presidents and fellow senators give him what he wanted for Nevada," says Michael Green, a history professor at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

McCarran was instrumental in the reopening of the military facility that became Nellis Air Force Base after World War II. He also played a key role in the building of McCarran International Airport and he killed anti-gambling legislation.

"He took care of his state," Green says. "He was a power back in Washington, but he also worried about the farmer who'd broken his arm and couldn't get in the winter firewood. He put a lot of Nevada kids through law school."

Those young scholars, nicknamed the "McCarran Boys," included Alan Bible, who became a U.S. senator, and Grant Sawyer, who became a two-term Nevada governor.

Laxalt served in the Senate from 1974 to 1987. Unlike McCarran, Laxalt was not a legislative powerhouse. He gained his considerable influence from his friendship with President Ronald Reagan.

"He served on important committees, but in the minority, and I would guess that even he would say he wasn't a legislative details man," Green says. "Laxalt had power because he could come back from the White House and say to his fellow senators, 'We really ought to do this.' And the other senators knew very well who he had been talking to."

Laxalt was important, Green says, because he made Nevada "look less sleazy."

"He wore his Western cowboy boots and talked about his Basque upbringing while wearing expensive suits. He was incredibly telegenic. It was a great combination."

So, Reid is making history, but the question remains: In this powerful new position, what can he do for his state?

Squeezing the life out of the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain certainly will be among his top priorities.

In recent years, Reid has taken the lead in fighting the Yucca Mountain Project, and despite being in the minority party, he has had considerable success. What's the latest projected opening date, 2017? Remember when the thing was supposed to open in 1998?

Now that Reid is the top dog in the majority, the radioactive dump project seems destined for severe malnutrition, if not death.

But that's a relatively easy one. More important, perhaps, will be Reid's efforts to quash any and all anti-gambling measures that cross his desk. Members of Congress are forever dreaming up new ways to limit or regulate gambling, and Reid will be in a position to protect Nevada's dominant industry.

Most recently, Congress passed an Internet gambling ban, a setback for Nevada's casino industry, which is interested in tapping into the growing online gambling market.

David Schwartz, director of the Center for Gambling Research at UNLV, says the industry would like to reopen the congressional debate over Internet gambling. He suggests convening a commission to study options to regulate and tax online bets.

Obviously, Reid could lead such an effort, as well as squelch persistent attempts by the likes of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to ban college sports betting.

Reid will be tempted to bring home the bacon for Nevada, but he'll have to be prudent. With reporters and political watchdogs constantly on his tail, he'll need to justify his actions before a national audience.

Already, Reid has run into some trouble in this regard. The Los Angeles Times reported last week that Reid helped secure federal funds for a bridge over the Colorado River that will connect Laughlin and Bullhead City. No big deal, except for the punch line: Reid owns 160 acres of undeveloped land on the Arizona side that will increase in value when the bridge opens.

Of course, the bridge issue might be a blip compared with allegations leveled by imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Last week, ABC News reported that Abramoff claims Reid solicited more than $30,000 in campaign contributions from Abramoff's Indian tribe clients in exchange for help with federal regulation of reservation gambling. Reid has consistently insisted he did nothing illegal or unethical.

Pitfalls aside, Nevada is likely to benefit considerably from Reid's new post. State Sen. Dina Titus, who recently ran unsuccessfully for governor, says Reid has every right to demand more federal dollars for the state.

"Nevada gets back about 74 to 76 cents on every dollar of federal taxes that we pay," says Titus, noting that some other states get back more than a dollar in federal expenditures for every buck they send to Washington. "I think Harry can make a big difference to ensure we get more of our share back."

Additional highway projects, veterans program funding, university research grants -- and perhaps a superspeed train from Las Vegas to Southern California -- could come Nevada's way, Titus suggests.

On a more progressive front, Reid could work to further expand research and development of renewable energy resources in Nevada -- a win-win-win for the state, nation and planet.

However, Reid will have to balance his Nevada wish list with the Democrats' national agenda, which is preaching legislative moderation. With a Republican president and election results signaling the voting public's preference for centrist policies, Democrats would be suicidal to go on a spending spree.

And much of the time, Nevada issues will get back-burner treatment on Reid's itinerary. The majority leader will face a formidable task in simply maintaining majority status. With two independents in the Democratic Party's 51-vote majority, it's always possible one of them could jump ship on a specific bill, putting a deciding vote in the hands of Vice President Dick Cheney. Even more daunting: Reid will need to bring nine Republicans to his side in order to reach the 60 votes needed to accomplish anything substantial in the Senate.

That said, if there's anyone in the Senate who knows how to play the vote-counting game, it's Reid.

Beyond the legislative minutiae, Reid has the formidable task of representing Nevada on a stage with very bright lights. Green believes he's a good fit for the role.

"Reid doesn't fit the stereotype that many people have of Nevada, and that has helped him a great deal," Green says. "Bush's infamous line also applies to Harry Reid: He's been misunderestimated."

Geoff Schumacher (gschumacher@ reviewjournal.com) is Stephens Media's director of community publications. He is the author of "Sun, Sin & Suburbia: An Essential History of Modern Las Vegas." His column appears Sunday.