Free Republic

On Friday, former Alaska Gov. Palin went to Nebraska and endorsed businessman Pete Ricketts for governor in the state in which her endorsement has proven to be the gold standard. Palin joined Kay Orr, Nebraska's former Republican governor whom Palin called the "original Mama Grizzly," to endorse to endorse Ricketts, whom Palin called the clear principled commonsense conservative choice in this race whose positions are clear: "he opposes amnesty and taxpayer funded benefits for illegal immigrants in any form and always has." Palin said the "alternative is woeful dependency on an inevitable sinking ship I call 'Liberal Lunacy.'" Palin has...

A lifelong Nebraskan, Deb Fischer knows about hard work, strong communities, and the Nebraska way of life. Born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, Deb attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with a B.S. in Education. Deb and her husband Bruce have been married for over 39 years and own a ranching business near Valentine. On the ranch, they raised their three sons, all of whom have returned to live and work on the family ranch. The Fischer family has been recognized for their conservation and environmental stewardship, receiving honors from the Nebraska Natural Resources Districts, Nebraska Cattleman and the...

Please read this story. The Washington establishment is trying to defeat conservative insurgents. We need to work together to level the financial playing field for Don Stenberg, Ted Cruz, and Mark Neumann. ------------------------------------- Washington Examiner | April 18, 2012 K Street and Tea Party again fight for soul of GOP By Timothy P. Carney Big business and the Tea Party are at swords' points once again, with GOP Senate primaries for the second straight election becoming proxy battles in the war over the soul of the Republican Party. Conservative insurgents pose serious threats this year to establishment Republicans in at...

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey has decided against trying to regain his Nebraska seat in the November elections, almost certainly gifting it to Republicans, RealClearPolitics reports. Incumbent Ben Nelson, considered the most conservative Democrat in the upper chamber, is retiring and Kerrey was seen as the Democrats’ last best chance for keeping the seat in the blue column. But after weeks of toying with the idea, Kerrey decided not to run, according to RealClearPolitics. “I have chosen what I believe is best for my family and me,” he said in a statement released Tuesday. Kerrey was running well behind Republicans vying...

Fellow Conservatives: Yesterday, former Democrat U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey reversed his earlier decision and announced that he will in fact run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska. After leaving the Senate in 2001, Kerrey moved to New York City where he even considered running for mayor. Kerrey's decision to move back to Nebraska to run in this Republican state proves one thing: national Democrats have convinced Kerrey that the Republican front-runner, state Attorney General Jon Bruning, is vulnerable. Fortunately, Republicans in Nebraska have an alternative. State Treasurer Don Stenberg is a true conservative with the integrity and record...

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) would start his 2012 reelection race in a weak position if Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning wins the primary, according to a new poll. The survey by Republican firm Magellan Strategies put Nelson 6 points behind Bruning in a general election. But pitted against Don Stenberg, another Republican in the race, Nelson is in a statistical tie. He bests Nebraska state Sen. Deb Fischer (R) by 6 points. Another cause for concern for Nelson, who has not yet announced whether he will seek reelection, is his 36 percent approval rating, which dwarfs the 51 percent who...

Republican Senate candidate Don Stenberg on Tuesday got the endorsement he wanted. South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, sometimes described as a kingmaker for candidates seeking conservative support, said Stenberg was "a lifelong conservative with the principles, integrity and courage needed to stand up to the big spenders in both political parties in Washington." Stenberg is "not only the strongest conservative in the race, but we also believe he's the most electable," DeMint said in a statement issued through his Senate Conservatives Fund website.

Now, though, there are signs that Bruning’s coronation is on hold — big time. Nebraska political observers cite an abrasive personal style that has rubbed many Republicans the wrong way, and Bruning has suffered from a series of unhelpful headlines and gaffes on the campaign trail. Bruning has compared welfare recipients to scavenging raccoons, been criticized for buying property with business executives whose case he intervened in as attorney general, and stood by embattled former Warren Buffett heir apparent David Sokol, even as Sokol resigned from his job earlier this year amid a scandal involving his personal investments. “It’s been...

Breaking news: Don Stenberg and David Kramer have conceded the GOP Senate primary, making Pete Ricketts the nominee who will face Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson in November

Earlier this month, my wife Sue and I embarked on a 2-day 12-city tour across Nebraska to formally announce my candidacy for the United States Senate. Prior to this month’s tour, I spent the past 5 months traveling the state listening to Nebraskans. The overwhelming message I heard was it is time for change in Washington – and I couldn’t agree more. The leadership of the national Democratic Party has been captured by the “blame America first” crowd who want to take America in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, at the same time, many Republicans in Washington have abandoned basic Republican...

Earlier this month, my wife Sue and I embarked on a 2-day 12-city tour across Nebraska to formally announce my candidacy for the United States Senate. Prior to this month’s tour, I spent the past 5 months traveling the state listening to Nebraskans. The overwhelming message I heard was it is time for change in Washington – and I couldn’t agree more. The leadership of the national Democratic Party has been captured by the “blame America first” crowd who want to take America in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, at the same time, many Republicans in Washington have abandoned basic Republican...

Don Stenberg lit a fire under his Senate campaign last week. First came a declaration of conservative principles that disassociated him from the Republican record in Washington and effectively erased any image of him as a rubber stamp for President Bush. Next, Stenberg sent letters to 525 Republican leaders and activists throughout the state addressing the question of “electability” that has been used against him. Stenberg lost an earlier challenge to Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson in 2000. However, it was “the closest U.S. Senate race in Nebraska history,” Stenberg wrote members of the GOP’s governing state central committee, delegates to...

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Stenberg blamed Democrats Tuesday for liberal judges, gay marriages, abortion and other social ills, but he reserved his harshest criticism for fellow Republicans in Washington. Former Nebraska attorney general and now an official Senata candidate Don Stenberg Stenberg blamed Republicans in the nation's capital - including President Bush - for the growing federal budget deficit, for "confused" border policies and for increasing federal control over local education. "Republicans in Washington need to be reminded why they were sent there in the first place," Stenberg said as he kicked off a 12-city tour of the state....

Former Attorney General Don Stenberg appeared poised Wednesday to jump into the 2006 Republican Senate race and seek a rematch with Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson. Stenberg Stenberg, who served as attorney general for 12 years, will hold a news conference today at Republican state headquarters to make "an important announcement about his future political plans." All signs pointed to his third bid for a seat in the Senate. Stenberg, who left the attorney general's office in 2003 to enter private practice in Omaha, lost to Nelson in 2000 by 15,000 votes. But Stenberg supporters are quick to point out that...

The writer is one of the lawyers who in 2000 successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Stenberg vs. Carhart, in which the court struck down a Nebraska law against the procedure ofter termed partial-birth abortion. On June 4, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill banning so-called partial birth abortions - just three years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar Nebraska ban. The bill, which is similar to one already passed by the Senate, is expected to be signed by the president shortly. Proponents of the bill have been working overtime...