Earlier this year, Reid suffered a serious eye injury while exercising
at home, causing him to reconsider whether he would seek re-election in
2016.
"This accident has caused [my wife] Landra and me to have a little down
time. I have had time to ponder and to think," Reid said. "We've got to
be more concerned about the country, the Senate, the state of Nevada
than about ourselves. And as a result of that, I'm not going to run for
re-election."
Reid has led Senate Democrats for the past eight years, first as Senate
majority leader from 2007 until this year, when Republicans took control
of the Senate, bumping him to Senate minority leader.
Reid's departure will open up a battle for the top Democratic spot in the Senate as well as for his Nevada seat back home.
Prior to joining the Senate in 1987, Reid, a Mormon, served two terms in
the House of Representatives and as Nevada's lieutenant governor for
four years.
Reid gained his first exposure to Capitol Hill as an officer for the Capitol Police while he attended Georgetown University Law School.
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