Reid was elected to Congress as a Republican in 1962. Reid was on the liberal fringe of the GOP and faced repeated challenges in primaries. On March 22, 1972, he switched parties and joined the Democratic Party. Reid said that he could not support Richard Nixon for re-election and the Republican Party had "moved to the right" and was "not showing the compassion and sensitivity to meet the problems of the average American." He turned back a Republican challenge later on in 1972.