Mr. Reid has been a target for Republicans ever since he became the Senate Democratic leader. The GOP successfully knocked off the previous leader, Tom Daschle of South Dakota, in the 2004 election and would dearly love to repeat the trick this year, just as Reid’s unfavorable ratings have topped 50 percent in Nevada. The state has the highest unemployment rate in the country, and Reid is perceived as better at delivering good results for his party than for Nevada.
But the Republicans might be hampered by their candidate. Ms. Angle, a former state representative, rode “tea party” support to an unlikely victory in the GOP primary. Since then, Reid has used his formidable campaign war chest to flood Nevada’s airwaves with commercials about Angle’s extreme policy positions and statements – including one in which she appeared to advocate armed insurrection if Republicans did not take back Congress in the midterm elections. Ironically, Angle might not be helping the GOP cause, and Reid has taken the lead in most polls.
