In 2004, Harry Reid won reelection with 61 percent of the vote, gaining the endorsement of several Republicans. He ran against a unknown Republican stalwart named Richard Ziser. I met the guy during the campaign and he came across as a conservative - which is why the GOP-e threw him under the bus, as they never campaigned for him then.
When Jim Gibbons was a Congressman, he was cool in that once a month he had a rep set up office in our small town city hall to hear any grievances. I showed up each month with some agenda, and once, I told the nice lady that after Reid's election and the lame opposition the GOP-e put up, they didn't deserve to be in power. MAJOR deer-in-headlights reaction. Gibbon soon ran for Governor and that was the end of the rep showing up.
I absolutely believe there was collusion between Reid and Gibbons. Gibbons could’ve defeated Reid in 2004 if he was the nominee. In exchange for not challenging him, Reid would give him a “freebie” on running for Governor in 2006. I blasted him at the time on that, and of course, Gibbons self-destructed during his single term in office, revealing himself to be a total sleazebag.
I don’t doubt his reaction at your question, as you may have gotten a bit too close to the truth.