Conservative group: Nebraska Legislature was more conservative in 2021

The Nebraska Legislature leaned additional to the fitting final yr, in response to a current report revealed by the Conservative Political Motion Convention and the American Conservative Union Basis.

The report awarded the Legislature a conservative ranking of 61% for 2021, which is 5 proportion factors greater than its ranking for 2020 and 6 proportion factors greater than the state’s general common. Every lawmaker was additionally given a ranking, with the very best rating going to State Sen. Robert Clements of Elmwood with 96% for 2021. 

The bottom rated lawmaker was Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha with 26% for 2021. Hunt declined to remark, however posted to Fb Monday criticizing the report for being “outrage fodder” and mentioned it had no relevance to her work within the Legislature. 

“Grateful to CPAC all the time for the free publicity, however I do know folks can see previous the way in which they’re attempting to divide us and see that nothing is absolutely that black and white,” Hunt wrote on Fb.

CPAC publishes conservative scores for every state legislature yearly based mostly on lawmakers’ voting data throughout 186 coverage points, in response to a press launch. 

Clements’ conservative rating was properly above these for his friends within the Legislature. The second-highest ranking went to Sen. John Lowe of Kearney with 90%, whereas a handful of different lawmakers scored within the excessive 80s. Clements mentioned he suspects his excessive ranking was as a result of he all the time votes “sure” or “no” on each invoice, and by no means opts to go “current not voting.” 

“I am glad to let folks know my opinion,” Clements mentioned.

Although the Legislature’s conservative ranking for 2022 has not been launched but, Kevin Smith, chair of College of Nebraska-Lincoln’s political science division, mentioned he can be stunned if its rating was drastically completely different from its 2021 ranking, given most of the similar lawmakers served each years. 

However Clements pointed to a number of conservative payments that lawmakers didn’t cross throughout the 2022 session, together with a permitless hid carry invoice and a so-called set off invoice to ban all abortions in Nebraska upon the U.S. Supreme Courtroom overturning Roe v. Wade. 

Nebraska’s conservative shift has been years within the making and displays the nationwide Republican get together, which has been leaning extra conservative in recent times, in response to UNL political science professor Elizabeth Theiss-Morse. The very best conservative ranking CPAC gave the Nebraska Legislature was 69% in 2018. 

Nonetheless, in contrast to its neighbors, Nebraska is way from probably the most conservative state. Nebraska ranks twenty eighth within the U.S. for its general conservative ranking, and 4 of its neighbors — Missouri, South Dakota, Wyoming and Kansas — rank greater. 

Smith mentioned that is possible due to the Nebraska Legislature’s unicameral construction. The Legislature is nonpartisan, and political events cannot dictate members of legislative committees like different state legislatures, Smith mentioned. 

The CPAC report does not point out what’s to come back in future periods. Smith mentioned experiences like these are much less a software to indicate the place a legislature goes, however extra of a “yardstick” to measure the place a legislature has been. 

A complete of 14 seats within the Nebraska Legislature might be occupied by a brand new lawmaker subsequent yr, whatever the consequence of November’s normal election. That’s as a result of the incumbent both cannot run or opted to not run. Incumbents are operating in 11 different races.

“Your crystal ball is nearly as good as mine,” Smith mentioned.