Harry Reid: 'I'm running' in 2016
Sen. Harry Reid summoned dozens of staffers to the Senateâs Mansfield Room Tuesday and delivered a clear message: Heâs running for reelection next year. The comments are in part aimed at putting to rest growing speculation inside the Senate that the 75-year-old Nevada Democrat â badly hurt from a painful injury to his right eye â would call it quits after nearly three decades in the chamber. The Senate minority leader faces what could be a difficult reelection race next year, plus his would-be successors are ready to run the Democratic Caucus the moment he calls it quits. Story Continued Below But Reid told roughly 50 aides at an unusual all-staff briefing just off the Senate floor that he is definitely running in 2016, prompting a round of applause, according to attendees. And in a brief interview with POLITICO, Reid made clear that heâs directed his top political aide, Rebecca Lambe, to continue hiring senior-level staff, including a campaign manager. âI talked to Rebecca this week, they are still interviewing people, the answer is yes,â Reid said when asked if he was 100 percent committed to running. Asked if there was anything that could change his mind, Reid said: âIâm running. You asked a question that has no answer. Iâm going to run.â Reidâs unequivocal comments are a change since a news conference last month when he said that he planned to run âat this stage.â Reid, of course, has ample time to decide if he wants to ultimately retire at the end of this Congress. Heâs already been one of the longest-serving Democratic leaders, with some in the party eager for fresh blood, plus he would likely have to mount a vigorous campaign to win a sixth term. Republicans are trying to field a top-tier candidate against him, with GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval at the top of the list of potential candidates, though few believe the governor will mount a bid. It also remains to be seen how Reidâs recovery progresses. Reid, who has a large white bandage covering his right eye and a deep purple bruise on his jaw, is slated to undergo a second eye surgery Wednesday in an attempt to help him regain sight in his injured eye. The freakish accident occurred on New Yearâs Day at his home outside of Las Vegas, where a rubber resistance band Reid was using to exercise snapped, sending him crashing into cabinets in his bathroom, breaking bones around his eye and smashing four of his ribs. He has missed much of the first several weeks of the new Congress as heâs recovered at his condo at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington. After his second surgery Wednesday, Reidâs office said, the senator will spend the rest of the week absent from the Senate. Heâs expected to return once the Senate reconvenes Feb. 23 following a Presidents Day recess. Reid is acting like the eye injury has not altered his plans â or his sense of humor. As he walked by a reporter in the halls of the Capitol, he pointed to his eye and said, âIâm keeping my eye on you.â