Heartland Politics with Robin Johnson

From Searchlight to Washington: Jon Ralston Talks The Unlikely Rise of Harry Reid to the Corridors of Power

By Robin Johnson

Published April 3, 2026 at 11:00 PM CDT

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Jon Ralston talks about his book, Games Changer: How Harry Reid Remade the Rules and Showed Democrats How to Fight. We discuss Reid's upbringing into poverty in small town Nevada, his rise in politics, relationship with the casino industry, connection with Howard Hughes, investigations of him by the FBI, his rebuilding of the Nevada Democratic party, and the evolution of his political views, including on the filibuster and "nuclear option." Ralston is Founder and CEO of Nevada Independent and regular commentator on MS-NOW. He is recognized as the leading authority on Nevada politics.

Heartland Politics with Robin Johnson

Robin Johnson

Robin A. Johnson is a governmental relations, public policy and political consultant. He is an expert on government reform issues and has consulted with numerous local governments on consolidation/merger, public-private partnerships and full-cost accounting of public services. Robin has also helped candidates win elections for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, state legislature, judiciary and local government. Robin served as a consultant to the Office of Statewide Performance Review in the Illinois Governor’s Office and is former director of the Illinois Center for Competitive Government, a partnership between the Illinois Comptroller’s Office and the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University. Prior to that, he was Director of the Local Government Affairs Division of the Illinois Comptroller’s Office. Robin served on the Board of Directors of the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) in 1999-2000.

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