Inside the Story of Harry Reid’s Rise to Power — With Jon Ralston

Inside the Story of Harry Reid’s Rise to Power — With Jon Ralston

From The Talk About Las Vegas Podcast | a podcast by Ira Sternberg by Ira David Sternberg

March 9, 2026 · 30 min

About this episode

Ira Sternberg interviews Jon Ralston about Harry Reid's political career and their relationship.

This week on “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” Ira sits down with veteran political journalist Jon Ralston, founder and CEO of The Nevada Independent and author of "The Game Changer: How Harry Reid Remade the Rules and Showed Democrats How to Fight." In a candid and fascinating conversation, Jon reflects on his complicated, sometimes turbulent relationship with legendary Nevada senator Harry Reid—a political powerhouse who rose from humble beginnings in Searchlight, Nevada to become one of the most in-fluential figures in Washington. Jon shares why he once doubted Reid could win a Senate seat—describing him as having “no charisma” and “the limpest handshake I ever experienced”—and how Reid’s quiet determination, relentless strategy, and behind-the-scenes maneuvering proved him wrong. The episode explores Reid’s complex personality, the tension between his private political machinations and his public image, and the moments when Reid pushed back against Jon’s reporting. Jon also recounts how Reid unexpectedly gave him the green light in 2021 to finally write the book he had long wanted to write—granting access to his vast archives at University of Nevada, Reno and sitting for 24…

People in this episode

Host: Ira Sternberg

Guest: Jon Ralston

Topics covered

  • politics
  • Harry Reid
  • journalism
  • Nevada history
  • interviews
  • power dynamics

Keywords

  • Harry Reid
  • Jon Ralston
  • Nevada politics
  • political journalism
  • The Game Changer
  • Senate
  • interview

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Nevada Independent

Books & works: The Game Changer: How Harry Reid Remade the Rules and Showed Democrats How to Fight

Places: Searchlight, Nevada, University of Nevada, Reno

More episodes of The Talk About Las Vegas Podcast | a podcast by Ira Sternberg

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Talk About Las Vegas Podcast | a podcast by Ira Sternberg podcast page.