Nebraska state Sen. Deb Fischer wrested the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate from Attorney General Jon Bruning Tuesday night, riding a burst of late momentum to pull off an unexpected victory.
Her stunning come-from-behind performance amounts to a warning flare about the volatility of the primary season and the unintended impact of outside groups.
Fischer, a rancher and little-known state lawmaker, maintained a positive, above-the-fray tone while Bruning and state Treasurer Don Stenberg consistently traded blistering barbs. But she also benefited from a flurry of outside spending against Bruning, the front-running establishment favorite for more than a year who watched his polling lead evaporate during the final week of the campaign.
The victory sends Fischer to the general election as a favorite over former Sen. Bob Kerrey, who easily disposed of four lesser-known opponents for a shot at the open seat being left vacant by retiring Sen. Ben Nelson. Nebraska is a must-win for Republicans if they are to acquire the four pickups necessary to flip control of the Senate this fall.
Democrats argued that Fischer’s surprising win provides with them a better chance at holding the seat, mainly because she’s largely untested and undefined. But public polling taken ahead of the primary has shown Fischer defeating Kerrey by double digits. Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 170,000 and presumptive nominee Mitt Romney is expected to rout President Barack Obama in the state.
Read More at Politico. By David Catanese.
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Godspeed Deb Fischer.
She’s exactly what most people are looking for in a candidate. We want someone who is not on the DC kick back payroll, & determined to get wealthy at the taxpayers’ expense.
Although I like the idea of sticking it to the Republican establishment and the idea that the Republican Party has an outside chance of actually becoming the party of the people (if we can rid it of all the Karl Rove-types), this article leaves me with no idea as to why Deb Fischer is the best candidate for the job, unless I can just trust that Sarah Palin did her homework. Nevertheless, if America has any chance at all of surviving power must be removed from Harry Reid.