Chips are down for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in recent poll

Even though it's 18 months out until the next election for Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the latest poll numbers do not bode well for him. According to CNN, the latest poll conducted by Mason-Dixon for the Las Vegas Review-Journal show that only a third support re-electing Senator Reid and his approval rating is at 38%.

The only positive out of this, there are no credible GOP challengers. The messy divorce between Governor Jim Gibbons and former State Assembly Woman Dawn Gibbons, as well as other investigations of the Governor, have been a drag on potential GOP contenders in Nevada. Senator Reid hasn't had a tough race since 1998 when he edged out Nevada's now junior Senator, John Ensign, by less than 400 votes.

When I worked out in Northern Nevada in 2000, I had a chance to meet Senator Reid at a campaign event at the Carpenter's Union Hall, where he stood on top of the counter and spoke to rally Democrats leading up to Election Day. When you are one of the leaders of the Democratic Party, you are always under the microscope. He has 18 months to turn things around and to also see who might be challenging him.