LINCOLN — State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue came to Lincoln seven years ago to serve in the Nebraska Legislature. Now she is asking the region’s voters to send her to Congress. 

Blood formally kicked off her 1st District campaign against U.S. Rep. Mike Flood during a rally Saturday at a union hall for electrical workers in suburban southwest Lincoln. The 12-county district also encompasses Fremont and Norfolk.

Flanked by Nebraska Democrats and several of her legislative peers, Blood said it was time to remind Flood that Nebraska voters liked him better when he seemed more moderate.

“Our Congress is in complete disarray, and our congressman, Mike Flood, has forgotten his nonpartisan roots and ability to work with the other side because of this blind allegiance to political parties,” Blood said, eliciting cheers.

The former Bellevue City Councilwoman criticized Flood for focusing too much attention on a “vocal minority,” instead of his entire constituency.

Fighting national GOP playbook

She said she expects Flood to follow the national GOP playbook and attack her on immigration enforcement even though the House GOP has had chances to fix the issue and hasn’t acted.

On border security, Congress and presidents from both parties have negotiated potential deals that a divisive House GOP then killed, she said. She said some House Republicans act like babies and need “a timeout.”

“The fact that we don’t have enough border patrol, immigration judges and humanitarian resources for this crisis sits squarely on Mike Flood and the GOP, who refuse to pass a long-term budget bill to protect our border,” she said. 

Flood’s campaign had no immediate comment Saturday about Blood’s campaign kickoff or her criticism of the incumbent. 

Flood, who is seeking a second full term, has emphasized the need for House Republicans to restrain the spending impulses of Democratic Senate leaders and President Joe Biden. 

State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln praised Blood on Saturday for her tenacity and compassion. He said she has worked in the Legislature to protect its independence.

Parts of Blood’s announcement mirrored her pitch during her run for governor in 2022 against Jim Pillen, when she stressed the need for leadership for “all Nebraskans.” Blood secured 36% of the statewide vote against Pillen,  in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats 2-to-1.

In the Legislature, she represents a GOP-leaning slice of Sarpy County.

Differences with Flood

On Saturday, she said she would protect the social safety net for Nebraska seniors and people in need, saying she would keep political hands off Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

She said Republicans keep trying to find ways to offer options or privatize parts of benefit programs Americans have earned.

She also emphasized her support for public schools and said Flood, by contrast, supports the Opportunity Scholarship Act tax credit for donors funding private school education for students in need.

Blood said the widest gulf between the two candidates was on abortion.

Flood spoke Saturday to a crowd of more than 1,000 at the March for Life, where organizers applauded his work authoring Nebraska’s former 20-week ban (abortions are now banned in Nebraska after 12 weeks gestation) and nearly passing a trigger ban that would have effectively outlawed abortion. 

Flood told the March for Life crowd near the Capitol steps that Nebraskans need to defeat a November ballot measure that could enshrine the right to an abortion in the State Constitution.

“What they’re pushing in Washington (D.C.) will end up on our ballot in November, and it means all of us have to step forward and raise our hands and say it is our turn,” Flood said. “It’s our turn to stop what happens in November, and it starts today.”

Blood initially supported a bill in 2020 aimed at outlawing dismemberment abortions but backed off in the end, expressing concerns about its language. During that debate, she described herself as “pro-life.” She said later she only supported the bill as an “olive branch” so more senators would listen to her perspective.

She said things are clearer now, after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in 2022. The threat to women’s rights is real and no longer theoretical, she said.

Ready to fight for reproductive rights

On Saturday, she emphasized her commitment to protecting women’s reproductive rights. She said she would push back on House GOP efforts to restrict abortion. 

“I hear from women of every party who say that they feel that they’re being disrespected, that their voices aren’t being heard,” Blood said after her speech. “Now they’re concerned that politicians … refuse to listen to the medical community.”

Blood helped defeat Flood’s trigger ban by joining a filibuster against it. She also joined a failed fight last session to stop Legislative Bill 574, which shortened Nebraska’s abortion ban to 12 weeks gestation.

On Saturday, she told a campaign crowd of about 100 that she believes “safe and accessible reproductive health care” is a basic human right.

She also said Nebraskans deserve respect regardless of what they look like or how they identify. LB 574, in addition to restricting abortions, added new restrictions on gender-affirming care for trans minors.

As of the last federal campaign finance reporting period, Flood listed $235,000 in campaign cash on hand. Last year, Blood listed $2,700 in cash on hand left from her gubernatorial bid. She raised six figures during her gubernatorial bid. 

She also received more votes in her race in the 1st District than Flood did in his, though political observers say state races typically draw more crossover voters than races for federal office.

She said she is in the race to win — and that she plans to knock on voters’ doors in the 12-county district the same way she did when running for the Legislature in her Bellevue district. 

“That’s how races are won,” she said.