Nelson Cost Himself His Job

[Rowan]

The good news for Senator Ben Nelson is that he doesn’t have to face Nebraska voters until 2012.

If Governor Dave Heineman challenges Nelson for the Senate job, a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows the Republican would get 61% of the vote while Nelson would get just 30%. Nelson was reelected to a second Senate term in 2006 with 64% of the vote.

Nelson's health care vote is clearly dragging his numbers down. Just 17% of Nebraska voters approve of the deal their senator made on Medicaid in exchange for his vote in support of the plan. Overall, 64% oppose the health care legislation, including 53% who are Strongly Opposed. In Nebraska, opposition is even stronger than it is nationally.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2012/nebraska/election_2012_nebraska_senate

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

He was simply a blue dog that more often than not voted with the republicans. Replacing him with another republican is not going to make all that difference except for the fillibuster proof numbers.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Assuming he was even planning on running again. He'll be 71 at the time of the next election.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Yeah, Schumer had to convince him to run again in 2006. I doubt he even runs in 2012.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

If he runs, he'll win again.  Nelson is all kinds of popular, and one vote four years out won't cost him the election, especially not with a seat on Appropriations to funnel money to Nebraska.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

If he runs, he'll win again.  Nelson is all kinds of popular, and one vote four years out won't cost him the election, especially not with a seat on Appropriations to funnel money to Nebraska.

Nope, the GOP was already planning to go after this seat. The only reason that this seat wasn't competative in 2006 was that the GOP failed to get a good challenger, mostly because Johanns got appointed to the cabinet.

[Associate Justice PiT]

If he runs, he'll win again.  Nelson is all kinds of popular, and one vote four years out won't cost him the election, especially not with a seat on Appropriations to funnel money to Nebraska.

     From what I can gather Dave Heineman isn't a nobody either. Ben Nelson probably wouldn't lose by over 30%, but I'd expect Heineman could give him a serious challenge.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The odds are well over 50% Nelson doesn't even run again anyway.

[Rowan]

If he runs, he'll win again.  Nelson is all kinds of popular, and one vote four years out won't cost him the election, especially not with a seat on Appropriations to funnel money to Nebraska.

What are you smoking? All kinds of popular? His favorables are 40/55.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

I guess people would rather have a Republican who is honest about being Republican.
And before anyone says anything about how great it is that we have a "Democrat" from Nebraska, the Democrat that he replaced was one of 14 votes against DOMA.

[Mr.Phips]

He likely wasnt running again anyway. 

[Bo]

It's a shame. However, unlike all 40 Senate Republicans, at least he had the courtesy to vote for the final bill, even if the public option and the provision lowering the Medicare age were removed.

However,

He likely wasnt running again anyway. 

, thus its probably not a very large negative for him.

[Marokai Backbeat]

As others said, he probably wouldn't run away. But come on now, I think it's hard to say one vote (after endlessly watering it down and getting special exceptions for Nebraska) will kill him when he may or may not run again later on during the next presidential election year.

I'm all for predictions far away from the election date, but basing your prediction of failure on one vote for an extremely conservative democrat who won with 64% the last time not even technically one year into the new session... it's silly to say the least.

[CatoMinor]

If he runs, he'll win again.  Nelson is all kinds of popular, and one vote four years out won't cost him the election, especially not with a seat on Appropriations to funnel money to Nebraska.

Realy? is a majority dissaproval these days count as popular?

[timmer123]

My friend in Nebraska says he is absolutely despised now.


He is finished in 2012. 

[Badger]

My friend in Nebraska says he is absolutely despised now.


He is finished in 2012. 

Ah well, case closed then.

[Lief 🗽]

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