In a surprise, state Sen. Deb Fischer, backed by Sarah Palin, edged out establishment favorite Attorney General Jon Bruning and state Treasurer Don Stenberg in her first statewide race.
Coming May 15, just a week after the upset of veteran Sen. Richard Lugar (R) of Indiana by tea party favorite Richard Mourdock, the Nebraska primary signaled the volatility of the 2012 campaign season and the clout of independent expenditures. Ms. Fischer was outspent 8 to 1 by Mr. Bruning, the front-runner, but he was overwhelmed by millions of dollars in negative ads from national tea party groups, as well as the antitax Club for Growth. In the final weekend of the race, Chicago Cubs co-owner Joe Ricketts spent $200,000 on pro-Fischer ads, attacking Bruning.
Tea party groups were divided in their endorsements. The Senate Conservatives Fund (led by Sen. Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina, a godfather of the tea party movement) and the Club for Growth backed Mr. Stenberg.The Tea Party Express supported Bruning, citing his refusal, while a state legislator, to go along with a Republican governor’s bid to raise taxes.
With the retirement of Sen. Ben Nelson (D), the GOP saw an opportunity to pick up a seat in a typically conservative state. That could be harder with a relative unknown GOP candidate facing former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D), a former Nebraska governor still popular in the state.
