Harry Reid faces huge problems back home

By Rick Moran

At this point, at least, it appears that Nevadans are heartily sick of Harry Reid and want someone to replace the three term incumbent.

Politico's Scorecard:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) continues to face weak support back home, and trails both of his leading Republican opponents, according to a new Mason-Dixon poll released today.

Even as Reid has been airing a number of television ads highlighting his clout in the Senate and work saving jobs back home, the poll shows a near-majority of Nevada voters still view him unfavorably. Reid holds just a 38 percent approval rating - the exact same total as the last Mason-Dixon poll in October - with 49 percent disapproving.

Reid trails former Nevada Republican party chairwoman Sue Lowden by 10 points, 51 to 41 percent, and also trailed businessman Danny Tarkanian by a six-point margin, 48 to 42 percent.

Republicans face a crowded primary to determine Reid' opponent, and there's no clear frontrunner, according to the poll. Lowden holds a narrow lead over Tarkanian by one point, 25 to 24 percent, with conservative state Assemblywoman Sharron Angle in third with 13 percent.

Even though we're still a year away from the election - and the fact that Reid has raised a ton of money - the fact that he trails his top two GOP rivals and that his approval rating is so anemic puts the Nevada senator near the top of the Republican wish list of senate seats they think they can flip.

Although the state has been trending Democratic, most of those votes come from Las Vegas and Reno. The rest of the state is still pretty conservative. And even though Reid is nominally pro-life, his voting record as Majority Leader has obviously mirrored the agenda of the national Democrats who are far more liberal than Nevadans usually accept.

His high profile doesn't help either. There are a lot of Nevadans who wish Harry would tend the home fires and leave national politics to others.

Both GOP candidates are solid, if not spectacular and either has the potential to unseat Reid. This should be one of the key races to watch for 2010.

Hat Tip: Ed Lasky