Nevada-based journalist Megan Messerly said Monday that former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) still boasts a strong influence in the early primary state, predicting that he will play a “significant role” in the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination process.
Messerly noted that virtually all of the party’s 2020 candidate who have come through the state have met with the longtime Nevada senator.
“He’s very involved behind the scenes so we’ll be watching and waiting to sort of see how things are moving and if we see any subtle indications of his support in favor of any one candidate,” Messerly, a political reporter at The Nevada Independent, told Hill.TV.
Messerly noted that even though Reid has yet to back a Democratic candidate, he continues to be active on the sidelines.
“He’s very connected to the Democratic infrastructure here and the powers that be and will play a significant role in this process,” she said.
Reid has been a vocal advocate for Nevada and its role in the Democratic nominating process, touting the state’s diversity in comparison to other early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire.
Nevada’s population is made up of roughly 48 percent white residents, compared to Iowa’s white population of roughly 85 percent and New Hampshire’s 90 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Overall, about 60 percent of the U.S. population is white.
Reid reportedly said last month that both Iowa and New Hampshire are no longer representative of the country as a whole and shouldn’t have an outsized role in the nomination process.
“I don’t think it matters what happens in Iowa or New Hampshire because those states are not representative of the country anymore,” he said, according to The Associated Press.
Nevada is the third state to vote in the presidential primary next year behind Iowa and New Hampshire.
A RealClearPolitics average of recent polls has former Vice President Joe Biden leading the Democratic field in Nevada with 29 support. His closest competitor is Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) at 20 percent, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) trailing her by just 0.2 percent. South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) placed fourth at 7.3 percent support.
The RealClearPolitics polling average in the first state to cast ballots in the Democratic primary, Iowa, depicts a closer race between the frontrunners.
The average in Iowa shows Buttigieg in first place at 24 percent, followed by Sanders at 18.3 percent, Warren at 17.7 percent and Biden at 16.3 percent.
—Tess Bonn
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.