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...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: There was an election in Nebraska, and another establishment Republican went down the tubes. Nebraska State Senator Deb Fischer won the Republican nomination for US Senate in a race against the Attorney General Jon Bruning last night. She rode a burst of late momentum to pull off an unexpected victory. And it really was stunning. I mean it was a major surprising come-from-behind victory, and as it's reported here in The Politico, it "amounts to a warning flare about the volatility of the primary season and the unintended impact of outside groups," like the Tea Party. Deb...

*snip* As recently as a week ago, Deb Fischer was dismissed by the establishment. Why? Because she is not part of the good old boys’ permanent political class. The message from the people of Nebraska is simple and powerful: America is looking for real change in Washington, and commonsense conservatives like Deb Fischer represent that change. I applaud Moms like Deb Fischer who are bold enough to step up and run on a conservative platform to restore America and protect our children’s future. Congratulations to the people of Nebraska. As the Huskers’ fight song goes: “The eyes of the land,...

OMAHA, Neb. - The Associated Press has projected Deb Fischer as the winner of the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate. Most of the evening, Jon Bruning maintained a lead over Fischer; however, during the 9 p.m. hour, the lead switched in favor of Fischer. Just under 6,000 votes separated the top two candidates when the Associated Press called the race.

On the eve of Nebraska’s GOP Senate primary, We Ask America has Deb Fischer surging into the lead. As you can see from the chart below, that is a remarkable 21 point swing over a period of one week. According to the pollster, it sounds like Fischer has benefited from significant financial support from TD Ameritrade founder, Joe Ricketts. However, something else happened in the past week, which is conveniently omitted from their analysis. As I wrote in this post, Sarah Palin endorsed Fischer last Wednesday. Jon Bruning’s liberal record has been a frequent topic of conversation on Redstate. This...

Dear Friends, The Tea Party Express had an amazing week last week thanks to all your support and involvement and would like to thank you.  Everyday our buses traveled to a different city in this great nation rallying conservatives.  I think you can agree that the Tea Party is answering our critics and is just as passionate and energized as we were in 2010 and are poised to have another banner year at the ballot box in 2012.We wanted to share with you some of the highlights of the last week that were made possible through your support and...

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...

  Happy New Year!We were so busy in 2011 that it seems like a blur that flew by.  At a time when the mainstream media keeps pushing the notion that the Tea Party is losing its influence, I think that it is important to look back on all that you and I accomplished in 2011.  We can be very proud of all that we have done and use it as motivation to fight for Tea Party values in 2012.  Here are some of the highlights of 2011:Organized the first Tea Party response, by Michele Bachmann, to the State of...

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...

The agreement between Attorney General Jon Bruning and the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission seems to be missing an important provision. The signed document should have included a stipulation that Bruning cease and desist from further grandstanding in NEOC cases. Bruning’s behavior in the controversy won acclaim from immigration hardliners — and an appearance on the Lou Dobbs show on CNN — but it has thrown a monkey wrench into actual governing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development suspended its contract with Nebraska in April because of inadequate performance on cases of housing discrimination. While Bruning was milking the...

Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning on Monday defended his refusal to prosecute housing discrimination cases on CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” again couching his stance in the nationwide debate over illegal immigration. “In Nebraska, like every other state, our taxpayers have had enough, and they don’t want to see their state attorney represent illegal immigrants,” Bruning said on the show, which Dobbs has often used as a platform to protest illegal immigration. “My office isn’t going to be the free lawyer for illegal immigrants,” Bruning said. The attorney general has been in the spotlight recently for refusing to prosecute cases of...

The Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission has no way to pay for outside legal advice in its dispute with Attorney General Jon Bruning. But a Lincoln law firm that handles civil rights cases might step in to help the state agency that investigates employment, housing and public accommodation discrimination cases. “This issue needs to be decided. We would be willing to file suit so a judge can order Jon Bruning to do his job,” said Kathleen Neary, an attorney with Vincent M. Powers & Associates. Neary said she and Powers would be willing to represent the NEOC in court if the...

OMAHA — A Nebraska commission hoping to win back federal funding was scrambling to negotiate with federal officials and the state attorney general, who said Wednesday that it might be better to let federal investigators handle the cases instead. The Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission voted Wednesday to hire outside attorneys for the negotiations and possibly sue Attorney General Jon Bruning in order to retain its responsibility for the cases. If the commission were to permanently lose federal backing, discrimination cases in Nebraska wouldn’t be abandoned. The cases would be investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and...

June 28, 2007 - For the past few months, Sen. Chuck Hagel, Republican of Nebraska, has flirted with the idea of running for president as an antiwar Republican. Now, however, that platform is threatening Hagel’s standing within his own state and party. In a race that has received scant national attention, Jon Bruning, Nebraska’s 38-year-old Republican attorney general, is challenging Hagel’s bid for re-election to the Senate--by attacking him from the right. Bruning charges that Hagel’s stance on Iraq, as well as his criticism of the president and members of his cabinet (see: Alberto Gonzales), put the incumbent out of...