Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, the second-longest-serving Democratic leader in Congress, announced Friday he will not to seek a sixth term.
Reid spent months denying retirement rumors; many circulating after he lost his majority position during last November's midterm elections. The diminished role, not to mention his recovery from serious facial injuries that left him blind in one eye, allowed Reid time to reflect on the future.
"The decision I made has absolutely nothing to do with my injury, and it has nothing to do with my being majority leader, and it certainly has nothing to do with my ability to be re-elected, because the path to re-election is much easier than it probably has been any time that I've run for re-election," Reid said in a YouTube video announcing his retirement.
The long-standing Senator told The New York Times he wasn't running again because he wanted to leave "at the top of my game."
Reid took the reins from then-minority leader Tom Daschle in 2004, and became majority leader two years later when Democrats capture the chamber with wins in Republican-favored states of Montana, Virginia, and Missouri.
In that time, he grew increasingly critical of the GOP; picking fights with Conservative billionaire brothers Charles G. and David H. Koch, falsely claiming 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney didn't pay taxes, and repeatedly butting heads with Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell.
Reid took a subtle shot at McConnell before closing out his announcement, as he obstinately has over the last few years.
"My friend Senator McConnell, don't be too elated. I am going to be here for 22 more months, and you know what I'm going to be doing? The same thing I've done since I first came to the Senate," Reid said as the camera panned to a younger Reid in boxing gear.
For his part, McConnell said his adversary's "distinctive grit and determined focus nevertheless saw him through many challenges. They continue to make him a formidable opponent today."
Much of what irked McConnell was Reid's outspoken way of uniting Democrats, especially on human rights issues like immigration reform and pro-choice issues.
Reid and Obama gained favor in the Latino community after they championed amnesty efforts, including last November's executive order granting asylum to undocumented immigrants. After his bipartisan immigration bill didn't make the House in 2013, Reid notably said advocates for immigration would ultimately prevail.
"Harry is unique and he's got that curmudgeonly charm that is hard to replace," Obama told Nevada Public Radio on Friday. "I'm going to miss him. But the good thing is that I'm going to leave this place at the same time."
As for his successor, Reid pegged New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer to be his replacement. Schumer ran the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and has been Reid's right-hand man since Democrats captured the Senate in 2006.
"He's so respected by our caucus for his strengths, his legislative acumen, his honesty and his determination. He has left a major mark on this body, this country, and on so many who have met him," Schumer said minutes after Reid's announcement.
Reid also considered endorsing Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin but Durbin has since put his support behind Schumer.
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