Reid reinstalled as Senate leader

WASHINGTON - Sen. Harry Reid was reinstalled Wednesday as Senate majority leader, from where the veteran Nevadan will continue to run the body and exercise influence on national policy for another two years.

Reid and his leadership team were re-elected as a formality when Senate Democrats gathered for the first time since Election Day. In part because of millions of dollars in campaign money raised by their leaders, Democrats defied oddsmakers, prevailed in 25 of 33 races and increased their ranks.

The party further was bolstered Wednesday when Angus King, who won Senate election in Maine running as an independent, announced he would caucus with the Democrats. That gives Democrats a 55-45 edge in the body, a majority but short of the 60 needed to protect their legislation from filibuster.

When Congress reconvenes in January, Reid, who turns 73 on Dec. 2, will be entering his fourth term as majority leader, the longest in service since Sen. Mike Mansfield of Montana ran the Senate for eight terms in the 1960s and 1970s.

Reid's re-election as leader propelled him past his mentor, the late Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., who served as majority leader for three terms from 1977 to 1981 and from 1987 to 1989.

As a Texas senator, Lyndon Johnson also served three terms as majority leader, from 1955 to 1961, as did former Sen. George Mitchell of Maine, from 1989 to 1995.

Reid on Wednesday declined to reflect on his longevity.

"I'm just going to continue doing my job," he told reporters. "I have not looked at the arithmetic of all that stuff."

But Reid said the Senate today is much different from when Johnson ran the body. He repeated he intends to propose changes in filibuster rules that he argued have caused paralysis in the Senate, making if difficult for Democrats to pass bills.

"Everyone should understand we are going to move to change what the Republicans have done to make the Senate an institution that has no bearing on when Lyndon Johnson was (leader), when George Mitchell was (leader) or even when Bill Frist was majority leader. They have made this an almost impossible task to get things done."

Frist, a former Republican senator from Tennessee, was majority leader from 2003 to 2007.

Democrats on Wednesday also re-elected Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois, Chuck Schumer of New York, Patty Murray of Washington and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan to their positions as Reid deputies.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.