Nebraska Republicans make their closing arguments as 2024 campaign season wraps up
Members of Nebraska’s federal delegation, led by Sen. Pete Ricketts, conducted a “fly around” tour across the Cornhusker State, with a dozen stops over the past three days. Their final stop on Sunday was at the Millard Airport, where Congressmen Don Bacon and Mike Flood joined US Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts with six candidates for state legislature and State Auditor Mike Foley.
The candidates talked about the economy, inflation, and border security, as well as national security and securing federal funds to rebuild Offutt Air Force Base and expand Eppley Airport. And while most of the candidates spoke primarily of their own campaigns, Ricketts opened his remarks with comments about the Presidential race.
“We saw more Americans working under the Trump presidency than any other time in our history. We saw income inequality shrink for the first time in decades. We saw the lowest African-American and Hispanic poverty in our country’s history. We also saw that our southern border was secure. Donald Trump brought illegal crossings down to a 45-year low,” Ricketts said. “Now we can see [what happens] when you don’t have conservative leadership … with a 22% increase in groceries, Electricity is up 30%. Gasoline is up 45%. It’s harming our American families. And we see a southern border that is wide open. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris rushed to undo all the Trump era policies, and now we have over 10 million people trying to get into our country illegally.”
All Eyes on Osborn
One name mentioned by several candidates was Deb Fischer’s opponent for US Senate, Dan Osborn. Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert opened the event with a few swipes at state senator Mike McDonnell, a recent convert to the Republican Party, who is supporting Obsorn. McDonnell is also expected to run against Stothert in next year’s race for Mayor.
“We can’t even count on our newest Republican state senator to support our Republican candidates? Seriously?” asked Stothert. “Maybe the reason he switched from blue to red is just a campaign yard sign rather than a serious commitment to the Republican Party. What other explanation is there to justify his support of an independent, and really a Democrat candidate, to oppose our friend, Deb?”
Mike Flood did not mention his own challenger, Carol Blood, using his time instead to attack Osborn. “This guy, Dan Osborn, he’s a fake. He’s a fraud. And he’s perpetrating a fraud of the people of Nebraska,” Flood said. “We need to send him back to the factory that he ended up closing for 800 people.”
Gov. Jim Pillen, who spoke at the Pachyderm Luncheon on Monday, also had a few words about Dan Osborn. Pillen relayed a conversation with Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, who said that elections in his state were no longer “fun” because of the flood of out-of-state money.
"There's an extraordinary example not 20 months later of this happening in our state," said Pillen. "Sen. Fischer has the most power representing us in the United States Senate in about 10 to 40 years, and yet we have some Republicans that have been duped to think that Dan Osborn should be representing us."
Deb Fischer also had words to say about Osborn as she thanked her staff for all their work on her campaign. “We had great endorsements. We did great fundraising. But this has just turned out to be kind of an interesting election. And I think people will study it for years. I’m just really sorry that I’m in the middle of it,” Fischer said. “The poll numbers are with us. The people of Nebraska are with us. The more they find out about a guy who won't answer any questions, even who he’s going to vote for for President, Nebraskans aren't going to be fooled.”
Don Bacon’s Closing Argument
Don Bacon spoke about his own tight race against Tony Vargas, expressing optimism after his three debates. “I think the debates really helped us out,” Bacon said. “My opponent, he’s got five talking points. He can’t get beyond that. And he can’t defend them.”
Bacon spoke highly of KETV for their fact-checks on Vargas, who accused Bacon of supporting defunding the police and banning abortion with no exceptions. Bacon touted his military experience as necessary in engaging foreign policy in a “world on fire.” He also criticized Vargas for being soft on crime,
“He voted to make it harder to hold violent juveniles in prison,” Bacon said, “We’ve had innocent people murdered by violent juveniles who should not have been released. And it’s his amendment that’s made it harder. We’ve got to change that.”
A Super-Duper Majority?
Six candidates for state legislature in the Omaha metro area also had the chance to speak. While Nebraska’s one-house legislature is nominally nonpartisan, it’s no secret that its makeup clearly falls along partisan lines.
Republicans currently hold a supermajority of 33 seats in the state legislature, and they could expand it if a few more seats flip on election day. Kathleen Kauth (LD31), Rita Sanders (LD45), and Tony Sorrentino (LD39), are hoping to keep their seats “red,” while Felix Ungerman (LD3), Julia Palzer (LD9), and Bob Andersen (LD49) are running for seats that are currently “blue.”
Ballot Initiatives
State Auditor Mike Foley also spoke about two abortion-related amendments on the ballot, making the case to vote for 434 and against 439, which he characterized as “a great question of life versus death.”
“I know there’s a lot of confusion about 434. Get past that.” Foley said. “It’s going to come down to 434 or 439. You can’t have both. They might both pass, but only one will win. That’s the one of the most positive votes.”
There are several other initiatives on the ballot, including 435, which would repeal school choice funding. Gov. Pillen made things simple at the Pachyderm luncheon. “You vote for 434, you vote to retain 435, and you vote no on all the rest.”
Down the Ballot
As the 2024 campaign draws to a close, many other down-ballot candidates will be wrapping up races that have lasted well over a year. Linda Vermooten, Lisa Schonhoff and Liz Davids are all vying for seats on Nebraska’s State Board of Education, and several other candidates may change the makeup of local school boards if Tuesday’s elections bode well for Republicans.