Vegas welcomes a new name: Harry Reid International Airport

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada didn't attend a renaming ceremony on Tuesday making him the namesake of the busy international airport in Las Vegas, but praise was heaped upon him for his foresight and state infrastructure advocacy.

“He knew it was the gateway to boosting tourism,” Carlos Monje, U.S. transportation undersecretary, told family members, elected leaders and administrators gathered at the facility known since December 1948 as McCarran International Airport.

“By investing in infrastructure all around the Las Vegas Strip, visitors are able to more easily (access) the properties and generate millions and billions of revenue for the state,” Monje said.

Reid’s son, former Clark County Commission chairman and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid, said his father “regretted not being able to be here" to mark the new name, Harry Reid International Airport, but said he "understands what an incredible honor this is for him.” Rory Reid declined comment later when reached by The Associated Press.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported the 82-year-old Reid and his wife, Landra, decided not to attend because of the ongoing threat of COVID-19. Reid was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018. Landra Reid is a cancer survivor.

Harry Reid served in the U.S. Senate for 30 years, including eight years as Democratic majority leader from 2007 to 2015. He was the longest-serving senator in Nevada history when he retired in 2017. He also served from 1983 to 1987 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In a statement, the native of Searchlight, Nevada, recalled his first airplane ride at the airport in 1958 and his more than three decades of trips home from Washington.

“I worked hard during my years in Congress to help build and grow the airport,...