The shrewd Senate majority leader is putting the strength of his formidable political machine behind a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor whose fate could have major implications for Reid’s own three-decade congressional career. The race is rapidly becoming a proxy war between Reid and popular Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who is viewed by both parties as the toughest potential challenger to Reid in 2016.

If a Democrat were to win the lieutenant governor’s race, it’s widely believed that Sandoval wouldn’t challenge Reid, since it would mean turning over the governorship to a Democrat if Sandoval won…

“Personally, I don’t know if Sandoval is going to run against me or not,” said Reid, who served as Nevada lieutenant governor four decades ago. “I don’t know, and I really don’t care. He’s a supernice guy, and I’m not sure he would want to do that. But that’s up to him. I mean I’ve run up against a lot of people, and I’m not wanting to be worrying about who I’m going to be running against.”