Nebraska
Blood kicks off bid against Flood in Nebraska's 1st District U.S. House race | Nebraska Examiner
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.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Red Flag Warnings are in effect across Nebraska as dangerous fire conditions develop heading into the weekend, paired with unseasonably warm temperatures and strong winds that could quickly spread any flames.
Red Flag Warnings are in place for eastern Nebraska through 9 p.m. Friday night. The warning area expands significantly on Saturday, covering the entire state from throughout the entire day Saturday.
Friday: Moderate Fire Danger, Drying Trend
Friday’s fire concerns are lower than Saturday’s, but still significant. A Red Flag Warning remains in place for eastern Nebraska through 9 p.m. tonight as northerly winds pull in drier air throughout the afternoon. Dewpoints are expected to fall between 0° and 10° this evening as wind speeds taper.
The strongest winds and driest air won’t occur at the same time Friday, which is why confidence in Red Flag conditions is lower than normal today. By sunset, winds will become light and shift to the south as a surface high pressure system moves through the area.
Saturday: Extreme Fire Danger
Saturday brings the most critical fire weather conditions of the period. The Red Flag Warning expands to encompass the entire state as relative humidity values plummet to 8-15% — dangerously dry levels that will allow fires to spread rapidly.
Winds will be the primary concern. Southerly winds are expected to be sustained between 20 and 30 MPH for most — with gusts between 40 and 50 MPH possible at times. These powerful winds combined with extreme dryness create a recipe for rapid fire spread.
Temperatures will warm into the 60s and low 70s on Saturday — warmer in the west — but the heat is secondary to the wind and dryness threat. Relative humidity values will fall below 30% as early as 9 a.m. when the Red Flag Warning begins.
Sunday: High Fire Danger, Lighter Winds
Fire danger remains high to very high Sunday as an upper ridge moves overhead. Temperatures will climb to the upper 70s to upper 80s. The good news: southerly winds won’t be as strong, with gusts peaking at only 20 mph. This provides some relief from the most critical conditions, though fire danger will still be elevated.
Record Heat Monday
Monday will be the week’s warmest day, with mid- to upper-80s and low 90s forecast across Nebraska. Records are within reach — for many areas across the state. Lincoln’s forecast high of 88 degrees would tie the 1917 record.
Pattern Change Ahead
A cold front will slice through the area Tuesday morning, bringing cooler and cloudier conditions back to Nebraska. Highs will fall back to the 50s and 60s — a dramatic 30+ degree temperature drop from Monday. Winds will remain gusty from the north.
Precipitation chances will increase by early to mid-week. Tuesday through Thursday will see low chances (~20%) for light precipitation, with a mixture of rain and snow possible at times. No winter impacts are expected. Better chances are forecast for Wednesday night and Friday night as a wholesale pattern change develops, bringing southwest flow and surface moisture back to the region.
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Iowa coach Ben McCollum met with the media following his team’s 77-71 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Sweet 16. The Cornhuskers led by three at the half but Iowa was able to outscore Nebraska 34-25 in the second half.
Pryce Sandfort led all scorers with 25 points while shooting 8 of 13 from the field and 6 of 10 from the 3-point line. Bennett Stirtz led the Hawkeyes with 20 points and played for all 40 minutes.
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Iowa shot 52% (27-52) from the floor, 43% (13-30) from beyond the arc and 83% (10-12) from the free throw line. Nebraska struggled shooting 41% (24-58) from the field, 34% (13-38) from the 3-point line and 91% (10-11) from the charity stripe.
The Hawkeyes’ head coach acknowledged that his team had a poor start but a great finish and said that his team will need to play better to advance beyond the Elite Eight.
Yeah, I think to start we weren’t fantastic to start. They had an elite game plan to start. They played with elite pace. They adjusted their defense quite a bit. I think a lot of people will talk about the rivalry. I was around it when I was in Iowa, you know, and grew up in Iowa and understand the rivalry and whatnot. It’s nice to have — I guess if you would a call it rival that runs such a class program.
I think Coach Hoiberg, they have got great kids. They completely turned everything around from the previous season, and they have absolutely nothing to hang their heads about or anything. I have the utmost respect for them, all their players, and especially Coach Hoiberg. Heck of a season. I know it’s no consolation, but we still want to beat ’em every time and they want to beat us every time.
But from and internal perspective, there’s not a lot of bad blood there. It’s actually a lot of respect. I was really pleased with our second-half performance. I thought we actually decided we were going to try — not try. They had a lot to do with it, but kind of. Yeah, they’re smiling over there because they saw me break my marker.
And I thought our kids did a good job of executing offensively in both halves. We spent a lot of time trying to make sure that we could score, and you saw the result of that. We didn’t defend. But we were able to score, so we were able to stay in the game long enough and then get enough stops and had some big possessions down the stretch. Really good program win for everybody, coaches, managers, everybody included.
Iowa advances to the Elite Eight with the victory. Nebraska’s season ends with a record of 28-7.
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.
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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: What Iowa coach Ben McCollum said after defeating Nebraska on Thursday
LINCOLN, Neb — Gov. Jim Pillen has appointed Antonio Gomez of Jackson to the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, adding a longtime Siouxland business leader and public servant to the panel.
Commission members serve four-year terms and are subject to approval by the Nebraska Legislature.
Gomez launched Gomez Pallets in South Sioux City in 1983. He has since retired from daily operations, but last year the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce recognized him with the W. Edwards Deming Business Leadership and Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.
Gomez previously served on the Nebraska Commission on Latino Americans from 1981 to 2002. He also served as a Dakota County commissioner for 12 years and was on the Foundation Board for Northeast Community College.
Gomez’s appointment is effective April 1.
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