Posted on 11/12/2011 3:10:22 PM PST by Clintonfatigued
Sen. Jim DeMint today endorsed Nebraska Treasurer Don Stenberg’s bid for Senate, throwing his support behind the GOP primary’s underdog to challenge Sen. Ben Nelson (D) next year.
“Don Stenberg is a lifelong conservative with the principles, integrity, and courage needed to stand up to the big spenders in both political parties in Washington,” the South Carolina Republican wrote in a email to his Senate Conservatives Fund members.
Polling shows Nelson is one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for re-election this cycle if he decides to run for a third term. He’ll decide by the end of the year if he will seek re-election.
Nebraska insiders initially viewed Attorney General Jon Brunning (R) as Nelson’s toughest competition, but a few influential national conservative groups recently threw their heft behind Stenberg. Now DeMint has joined the conservative chorus that already included FreedomWorks and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).
(Excerpt) Read more at rollcall.com ...
Jim Bruning is turning out to be a poor candidate. Don Stenberg has his faults, but I think he is the better choice and I’m glad that DeMint made this endorsement.
Personally, I wish Gov. Heineman was running (he’d probably make a good President, too).
Everytime I see the name Jim Bruning I think of Jim Bunning, the retired U.S. Senator from Kentucky.
I’m not from there but I am disappointed to hear Bruning is not doing well. I just think we need more young blood in the party. Though I’m sure Stenberg is a good guy too. Didn’t he almost beat Nelson when they ran against each other in 2000?
“Didn’t he almost beat Nelson when they ran against each other in 2000?”
Yes, Stenberg was Attorney General at the time.
I really wish DeMint would suddenly enter the race for President.
Stenberg’s record of running for the Senate isn’t good.
In 1996 (he was already AG) he badly lost the primary to nobody RINO businessman Chuck Hagel who had spent most of the previous 20 years living in Virginia. Hagel went on to easily dispatch then popular Governor Nelson in November.
In 2000 he won the nod but lost narrowly to Nelson despite large coattails from Bush.
In 2006 he lost the primary to nobody businessman Pete Ricketts (brother of the now owner of the Chicago Cubs) who flopped as a candidate and was easily handled by Nelson in a horrible GOP year.
I’m not thrilled with either Stenberg or Bruning but the last polling I saw shows them both beating Nelson by a narrow margin.
It is critical to pick up that seat since I think if Republicans manage to get a majority it will be by a very small margin. I thought it would be good to see Bruning join the newer generation of young leaders like Marco Rubio, Kelly Ayotte, Mike Lee and others. But if Stenberg can beat Nelson that’s fine with me. Sounds like he has a hard time winning primaries though.
Speaking of Nelsons, there was good news out of FL recently too with a new poll showing Connie Mack gaining on Bill Nelson. If they could win that seat too it would be fantastic.
Last I heard, Ben Nelson was considering retirement. I hope that Bruning’s candidacy drives Nelson and other prominent Democrats away, at which time nominating Stenberg over Bruning won’t imperil our victory in the general election. I’d rather have Stenberg than Bruning in the Senate, but I really, really want to avoid a rehash of 2000 with Stenberg blowing what should have been an easy win.
It’s too bad Mack is a tool. Did you see his comments about the Arizona law?
He’s really gone south his marriage to Mary Bono.
“...but I really, really want to avoid a rehash of 2000 with Stenberg blowing what should have been an easy win.”
Well put.
In 2000, Ben Nelson was a popular and successful former Governor who distanced himself from his party. The Cornhusker Kickback makes that harder to do this time.
In 2000, Ben Nelson had already lost a U.S. Senate race, and George W. Bush was beating Gore in Nebraska by 2:1. It was Stenberg’s race to lose, and he lost it. Nothing in Stenberg’s electoral performance over the past 11 years make me co fident that he’d be a better candidate against Ben Nelson than, say, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, not to mention Bruning; since Fortenberry isn’t running for the Senate, and I’d rather have Stenberg than Bruning in the Senate, that’s why I said that I’d like for Bruning to scare Nelson into announcing his retirement and then, when it’s clear that the GOP nominee will be facing a second-tier Dem candidate, would I support Stenberg. For the time being, I’m officially undecided.
“I’d like for Bruning to scare Nelson into announcing his retirement”
That would be nice, but Bruning has proven to be a gaffe-prone candidate so far. That is one reason that so many conservatives are giving Stenberg a second look this cycle.
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