It never ceases to amaze me how leftists like Reid and Frank Church ever managed to get elected in western states.
You do it by lying. You claim that you are “moderate” and that your first allegiance is to the fine people of the state of Nevada, not to your party. Reid’s campaign motto during the last election was, “Harry Reid, independent - like Nevada”. And the truth is, he was not counted among the lunatic Left until he took over leadership in the Democrat party. He was even pro-life for years. But he definitely sold his soul to the Devil to get into a greater position of power.
Another factor in his last reelection is that the state Republican leadership (including our former RINO governor) did not actively & financially support the conservative Republican who ran against Reid. The Republican who ran was the one who successfully headed up the fight against gay marriage in the state. That was a little too conservative for some of the Republicans at the state level. They feared being labeled as “homophobic”. Anyway, this lack of support combined with Reid’s campaign chest with millions of dollars, meant that the Republican didn’t stand a chance.