In Nebraska’s Senate race, Jane Raybould may aim for center as Deb Fischer banks right
By Aaron Sanderford / World-Herald staff writer
Abridged story below:
Eastman won her May 15 Democratic primary against a better-known, better-funded opponent by running as an unapologetic progressive. Her campaign aimed to energize her left-leaning political base and did.
Raybould is trying to pull off a different kind of upset this fall, in a general election most outside observers, including the Cook Political Report, expect Fischer to win, powered by incumbency and Republicans’ registration advantage in Nebraska.
To win, Raybould needs to hold on to the Democratic base without alienating up-for-grabs Republicans and nonpartisans, said Paul Landow, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
That leaves her following a Senate playbook that worked in the 1980s and 1990s for Nebraska Democrats Bob Kerrey and Ben Nelson — emphasizing business experience, taking moderate positions where possible and papering over policy differences.
Raybould highlights Fischer’s deciding vote that paved the way for Betsy DeVos to become secretary of education as evidence of a senator “who puts party over country,” and party over Nebraska.
“She’s totally tone deaf on what matters to Nebraskans,” said Raybould, who has been endorsed by the state teachers union.
Fischer has said she supported DeVos after gaining personal assurances that DeVos would not seek new federal mandates on school vouchers.
Raybould’s path forward requires three things, Adkins said: She has to persuade people to vote on issues and not based on party loyalty. She’s got to point out where she and the incumbent agree. And she has to highlight stances where she and the public agree but Fischer does not.