Something interesting happened in the last week. As 2006 Congressional candidate Jim Esch kicked off his second challenge to Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE), Terry went to the Omaha media and started publicly begging the Republican National Committee to invest resources in Nebraska.
"Right now, we're one of a handful of states that they're ignoring," Terry said Thursday.
The Republican National Committee has been sending campaign money to other states' party organizations, Terry said, but not to Nebraska. He also said the national committee is facing fundraising struggles this year and has indicated no plans to change that approach.
Terry is trying to convince national GOP officials that they could be making a mistake. His pitch rests on two key points.
The first is the excitement Democrats showed in holding caucuses that were won by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
His second point focuses on the way Nebraska splits its electoral votes. A presidential candidate need win only a congressional district — not carry the entire state — to capture one of the state's five electoral votes. Even one vote could prove critical in a tight presidential election, Terry said.
The Wall Street Journal picked up the thread on Saturday.
There are reasons for the Democrats' optimism. Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel is one of the few outspoken Republican critics of the Iraq war, making voters here sensitive to the issue. The state also has a chunk of independent voters as well as those who switch parties easily.
Democratic primary races here are crowded with contenders itching to run against three Republican incumbents in the House and hoping to make a battle of the race for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Hagel, who is retiring.
"It's a great year to be running in Omaha as a Democrat," said 32-year-old Jim Esch, competing in the May 13 primary to represent Nebraska's Second Congressional District, a seat held by Republican Lee Terry.
A poll released at the beginning of March showed Barack Obama within the margin of error in Nebraska, and slightly ahead of McCain in two Congressional districts. Senator Ben Nelson has hinted that Democratic internal polls show similar numbers. So it should come as no surprise that Republicans are growing concerned that Obama could make Nebraska competitive. With a dynamic Senate candidate like Scott Kleeb, Democrats have the best opportunity they have had in years in Nebraska.
But why is Terry, in particular, so concerned? It might have a little to do with what happened in 2006.
Terry didn't take Esch seriously - he was an underfunded opponent who swore off special interest money, scarcely ran television ads, and advertised on bus benches throughout the city. Terry beat back a well-funded and experienced state senator from a Republican district in 2004, so he didn't give a challenge from a political newcomer any thought. The state Democratic Party didn't take him seriously. The local media didn't pay attention. No one gave him a chance to win.
But over the summer Esch ran an extraordinary grassroots campaign, relying on an extensive volunteer base and retail politics, with an innovative campaign logo that stuck in the minds of voters. And as the early returns came in on election night, a funny thing happened: Jim Esch was ahead.
The atmosphere at Esch headquarters in Omaha's historic Old Market was electric. The local news cut to Terry's headquarters - and he was visibly shaken. Thanks to a large early vote advantage for Esch and a delay in the vote count, the race wasn't called until late the next morning. In the end, Esch came up short, losing 55-45, by about 17,000 votes.
After that, people started paying attention. Esch initially declined to run, but after seeing the excitement Barack Obama generated at the Nebraska caucus (Esch was drafted by Obama supporters at his district caucus to speak on Obama's behalf), he decided to run for Congress again.
Lee Terry is frightened that he might lose this race. He's frightened because in his 10 years in office, he has done nothing for the people of Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. He has taken the people of Omaha, Bellevue, Papillion, and LaVista for granted. He has shown a complete lack of leadership, and indeed an aversion to the responsibility of leadership.
I had an opportunity last year to speak with Lee Terry in one of my political science classes. He was asked by one student what was different about being in the minority as opposed to the majority. His response was telling; A quote that I wish I had documentation for, because it so encapsulates his philosophy of government. "Being in the minority," he said, "frees you from the responsibility to lead."
The responsibility to lead. Fitting for a five-term Congressman without any legislative accomplishments. No wonder he's scared.
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