The truth isn’t in the poll numbers, Reid says

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., often says he doesn't care about political polls.

But he cares enough to criticize ones that say people like his opponent better.

On Tuesday, at a dedication ceremony for the Clark County Shooting Park, Reid said he wasn't worried about a poll that showed voters preferred his Republican opponent, Danny Tarkanian of Las Vegas, 49 percent to 38 percent.

"You are referring to one poll," Reid said of a Mason-Dixon poll of 400 Nevadan voters commissioned by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

"A poll of 400 in an area of 3 million (residents) is not a very great poll."

Reid also said he is well aware of where he stands with the electorate.

"I know where I am in the numbers," he said.

Reid went on to say he hasn't had a closely contested race since 1998, when he eked out a victory over then-Rep. John Ensign.

Since then, he hasn't had a high-profile election, so he hasn't had a chance to interact with voters on the campaign trail.

His 2004 race was a landslide victory against lightly-regarded Republican Richard Ziser.

"I can't even remember the name of my opponent," he said of that race.

He then reiterated his opinion of the Review-Journal poll: "Don't believe a poll of 400 people."