HolyCoast: Nebraska GOP Voters Pass on the Establishment Favorite and Select a Tea Party Favorite
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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Nebraska GOP Voters Pass on the Establishment Favorite and Select a Tea Party Favorite

This was interesting:
Nebraska Republicans chose a little-known ranch owner and state lawmaker to go against a famous Democratic politician in a competitive race that could prove pivotal in their drive to win back control of the U.S. Senate in the November election.

On the presidential front, Republican Mitt Romney continued to pile up the delegates he will need to claim the Republican nomination, but he has already moved into general election mode against President Barack Obama.

In Nebraska, popular former Sen. Bob Kerrey, who is seeking to reclaim his old seat, easily captured the Democratic nomination against three lesser-known candidates in Tuesday's primary.

Nebraska Republicans, knowing they needed to find someone to go toe-to-toe with Kerrey in November, could have opted for one of two statewide office holders Attorney General Jon Bruning or Treasurer Don Stenberg, both of whom were better funded and better known.

Instead, they chose Deb Fischer, a ranch owner who was elected to the Legislature in 2004 and whose major push didn't come until days before Tuesday's primary. That's when she landed the endorsement of 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and 2012 presidential candidate Herman Cain and received a $200,000 ad blitz from a super political action committee bankrolled by TD Ameritrade founder and Chicago Cubs co-owner Joe Ricketts.
Apparently the top two GOP favorites spent much of their campaign sniping at each other and ignoring Fischer. The voters weren't impressed with the top two guys and went with the relatively unknown Fischer instead. Could she be the Sharron Angle or Christine O'Donnell of the 2012 election - the unknown candidate that loses a race we should have won?

Hard to say. Bob Kerrey has lived in New York City for years and hasn't had any significant contact with Nebraska or its politics since he moved. Why would Nebraskans want him as their Senator after all these years away? Democrats seem to love carpetbagger Senators (see Bobby Kennedy and Hillary Clinton), but will the voters comply with the desires of the party? We'll see.

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