Surely you don’t think the average person on the streets of Durham, Raleigh, or Charlotte recognize Harry Reid.
Point 1: the "average person" universe is not relevant in a mid term election. Much smaller, much more involved voter base in mid terms.
Point 2: Nancy Pelosi was introduced to a lot of people by Republican campaigns in 2010, and it worked. When you assume a campaign must meet people where they are, you are acting like a typical GOP consultant. When you understand a campaign can educate people, you are being more Reaganesque.
Point 3: Tillis is suffering from luke warm to cold responses from tea party types, and yes, I think about 99.9% of Tea Party types know who Harry Reid is and it would be a great way for Tillis to reach that segment.