Reid joins effort to push 2016 Democrats left

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has not always been the most liberal guy in the party, but he is joining an effort by progressives to push Democratic contenders for the White House to adopt some "bold, economic-populist" ideas.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is organizing liberals behind a “Ready for Boldness” campaign, urging “the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee” to campaign on “bold, economic-populist ideas” like expanding Social Security benefits and “breaking up the ‘too big to fail’ Wall Street banks.” The group announced a first group of endorsers in New Hampshire and Iowa in late March and now is rolling out a broader national list of supporters -- including Reid and 14 House members.

"Being bold is the only way I've ever known how to win," the Nevada Democrat said.

But he has not always been part of the PCCC's clique, increasingly viewed as the  "Elizabeth Warren wing" of the Democratic Party.

Reid’s positions on a number of social issues have liberalized over his time in the Senate, particularly under the Obama administration.

In 2012, Reid followed President Obama in endorsing gay marriage after years of supporting the legal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. He cited his children and grandchildren’s support of gay marriage as a factor. "I have no doubt that their view will carry the future,” he said.

Reid, who had touted the support of the National Rifle Association in previous elections, also played a critical -- if ultimately unsuccessful -- role in trying to pass legislation to enhance background checks in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shootings.

Reid was also a leading Democrat who opposed abortion rights, but in recent years he has embraced women's rights groups and engaged in legislative battles -- most recently on a bill to combat sex-trafficking -- to combat any infringement on existing abortion rights.

He has announced that he is not running for re-election himself in 2016.