Nebraska: Deb Fischer surging past Bruning in US Senate primary

[Tender Branson]

Any chance this race could become competitive at all?

Nope. It's Nebraska and Kerry is a politician of yesteryears, so it won't be even close.

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

Any chance this race could become competitive at all?

Nope. It's Nebraska and Kerry is a politician of yesteryears, so it won't be even close.

Kerry is out of his mind, obviously.

[For Oklahoma]

Safe Fischer?

[hopper]

She won yesterday. Congratulations to her!

[Svensson]

Any chance this race could become competitive at all?

The notion is pretty much nonexistent. Stenberg was the resident Tea Partier/"loony," if you prefer, whereas Fischer really isn't all that different from Bruning policy-wise. The only reason she's so much closer to Kerrey in GE polling is her lack of statewide name recognition - which, naturally, is about to change dramatically.

[For Oklahoma]

So if Bruning was the establishment candidate, Stenberg was the Tea Partier...what is/was Fischer?

[RogueBeaver]

So if Bruning was the establishment candidate, Stenberg was the Tea Partier...what is/was Fischer?

A conservative appropriator who's tough as nails.

[Keystone Phil]

A friend of mine said Fischer is very close to the teachers' union. Anyone able to back this up?

[For Oklahoma]

So if Bruning was the establishment candidate, Stenberg was the Tea Partier...what is/was Fischer?

A conservative appropriator who's tough as nails.

Ah, I see.

[Vosem]

So if Bruning was the establishment candidate, Stenberg was the Tea Partier...what is/was Fischer?

Fischer was the Tea Partier, in the sense that she won the votes of the sort of people who vote Tea Party. Although Stenberg was portrayed as the Tea Party candidate by many, in the end he was considered too establishment by the average Nebraskan to really work as a Tea Party candidate (Stenberg's first serious run for statewide office was a run for Lieutenant Governor, in 1978 -- he came in fourth of five serious candidates). And Bruning was universally recognized as a moderate. Thus, Fischer became the Tea Partier by default, although some of the reports I've seen paint her ideologically as a second coming of Chuck Hagel.

[hopper]

So if Bruning was the establishment candidate, Stenberg was the Tea Partier...what is/was Fischer?

Stenberg was endorsed by the Tea Party so Fischer was the "outsider" in my own opinion. I just saw Fischer as an afterthought a few months ago in this race.