Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/senate-minority-leader-discusses-iraq-9-11-and-2006-races Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., discusses Republican accusations that Democrats are emboldening terrorists, the war in Iraq and what Tuesday's primary results suggest about his party's chances of taking back the House or Senate in November. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. JIM LEHRER: But first, our newsmaker interview with the Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada.We will talk to his Republican counterpart, Majority Leader Bill Frist, tomorrow night.Senator Reid, welcome.SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: Very happy to be here. JIM LEHRER: First, on the politics, the primary results, how do you see the victory by Senator Chafee in Rhode Island as good news or bad news for Democrats? SEN. HARRY REID: Well, of course, if he had lost, it was all over with.But Rhode Island is our best state, 80 percent Democratic. It's a state that we should win. They have only elected two Republicans in the history of the state, and both of them named Chafee. I think we're… JIM LEHRER: Senator Chafee and his father, John Chafee, correct? SEN. HARRY REID: Yes. I think we're in real good shape there. JIM LEHRER: But do you agree with what Mercurio just said, that you Democrats have to win Rhode Island if you're going to regain control of the Senate? SEN. HARRY REID: We have eight seats that are in play.The American people want a change of direction. What's been going on these past six years is not good for the American people. We have eight seats. We never expected we would have eight seats where we're within five of those states, we're ahead in the polls. And three of them, we're within four or five points.This is an election that we have a lot of options. So, we think we are going to win Rhode Island, but we have other opportunities.