(from the diaries – promoted by Trent Thompson)
Multiple press accounts confirm now that Scott Kleeb will make an announcement regarding the U.S. Senate race on Monday.
Scott Kleeb appeared poised Wednesday to enter the 2008 Senate race.
Kleeb, the 2006 Democratic congressional nominee in western and central Nebraska, is planning to reveal his political plans on Monday.
His candidacy would set the stage for a high-profile Democratic primary contest with Columbus industrialist Tony Raimondo for the Senate nomination.
The primary is May 13.
Kleeb should forget about the Senate race and go for the house seat. It would take a miracle for him to win the race and having to deal with Raimondo in the primary only makes that all the less likely.
Raimondo may not be the best Dem candidate, but he has the money to compete and Kleeb would be competetive in NE-03. With Kleeb in the senate race, now we have no shot at either race instead of just no shot at the Senate.
Kleeb has a real shot at the house seat and should focus his efforts there.
Raimondo can at least keep the Senate race somewhat interesting by making Johanns actually raise money and campaign…
Some of you may recall that I know Scott and have a few personal issues with him…but I’d have to agree that he’s the best candidate there is for that seat at this point (as long as Bob Kerrey won’t run). I do have my doubts about him overcoming the stigma of Yale and growing up in Europe if the race gets close and personal. But I’m inclined to say that if people vote against him for those reasons, they deserve whatever they get from the Republican senator they’ll end up with.
I love him as a candidate, but Johanns is too tough. That will be a 15 point Repub win no matter whom the Dems nominate.
Kleeb is 32 years old. Raimondo is 68. Quote a contrast. Raimondo’s campaign story is that GOP powerbrokers cleared the way for Johanns and only the Democrats have a real primary leaving things up to the voters. It may not be convincing for a Democratic primary but it is a nice message to take to the general election no matter who the Democratic nominee is.
I am not from NE, but have a great interest in the state. Watched Kleeb closely in his Congressional race and really liked what I saw. He was defeated by the habit of voting for the GOP. With Obabma in the race, old habits are falling by the wayside. I look for coattails a mile wide, but only if the candidates are Obama-esque in their approach to governance. That spells Scott Kleeb to me and I will truly enjoy watching this young man’s career take off.