Ever hear of a US senate candidate who doesn't take money from ANY business groups, special interest organizations or lobbyists? Not even those from his own state? Me either.
How about one who categorically refuses to run attack ads? As in NOT ONE.
Or one who doesn't accept endorsements from any big-name politicos, regardless of who they are?
Yeah, me either.
I thought it wasn't possible in the US. Not any more.
But I was wrong.
There's an extraordinary US senate campaign being run in Nebraska right now. It has turned down big donations from Washington lobbyist groups. It has eschewed grandstanding endorsements from national figures of any stature. It hasn't run a single attack ad, and won't be doing so.
The campaign is that of Domina for Nebraska, and its candidate is lifelong resident Dave Domina. He's running for the US Senate seat about to be vacated by retiring US Senator Mike Johanns.
You wouldn't expect this kind of campaign from an Omaha trial attorney, especially not one who is known for phenomenal success in the courtroom. But Dave Domina is no ordinary person.
Domina is the rare politician of both exceptional intelligence and unwavering integrity.
Dave Domina is believed to be the only lawyer in the country to win both capital acquittal cases and a civil jury verdict of more than $1.28 billion. He has been repeatedly named to the Top 100 Trial Lawyers list by the National Trial Lawyers Association and to the exclusive “Best Law Firms” list by U.S. News & World Report. Domina has active bar admissions in four states and has appeared in court in 43 US states. From DFN website.
Here at home, Domina has represented Nebraska's citizens in two of the three impeachment cases of public officials ever brought before the Nebraska Supreme Court (He missed the first one in the 1800s.). And won.
In 2006, Domina represented a family whose daughter had been hit by a speeding car. He put the entire portion due to him from the judgement he won -- expenses from over 2 1/2 years of legal work -- into a trust fund so the girl's family could take care of her at home.
What attorney does that? What kind of politician ever does that? Not an ordinary one, that's for sure.
Most recently, Domina represented farmers and ranchers against the multi-national Koch-backed corporate giant TransCanada in their challenge of state governor Dave Heineman's attempt to orchestrate a land-grab to force the Keystone XL pipeline through our state. Maybe you've heard about that one. He won.
Domina's a true David and Goliath candidate, in every sense of the word. And he's fighting the same fight on behalf of Nebraskans in his unusual senate campaign. No attack ads, no lobbyist money, no big-name recommendations from high-powered friends. He'll represent everyday citizens and no one else.
This isn't just hearsay. I've been a volunteer with the campaign for the past eight months. I've worked on several other campaigns in my life, but this one is very different.
Domina for Nebraska is determined to not produce ANY negative material of any kind, regardless of what their opponent does. They've signed a pledge to that effect and they will honor it.
They've also turned down contributions from all interest groups, even when the source was solely inside Nebraska's borders and aligned with their positions, because they hew to the ideal that they will not be beholden to anybody except voters. The Domina campaign is running solely on individual contributions.
Both these strategies are refreshingly different from modern practice, although they shouldn't be. The old-school approach costs the campaign in predictable ways. But they emphasize how important it is to Domina that he run a clean, no-nonsense campaign. If elected there would be no justifiable accusations that his trust-busting philosophies and personal practices don't match.
Rarely have we had the privilege of electing a man of such intelligence and integrity anywhere in the US. And yet, here in Nebraska, that's exactly what we have.
Let's not miss this opportunity. If you know anyone in Nebraska, tell them to vote for Dave Domina for US Senate. And if you can at all make a contribution, please do so here.
Trust me, you'll want to see this man in the US Senate. It would be old-school awesome.
Note: This piece was written without knowledge by or approval of Domina for Nebraska. I am an unpaid volunteer submitting it on my own behalf.