Nebraska
Nebraska State Sen. Carol Blood poised to run against Rep. Mike Flood for Congress | Nebraska Examiner
BELLEVUE — Two years after running for Nebraska governor and securing 36% of the statewide vote as a Democrat, State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue appears poised to run for Congress.
Blood, who represents a Republican-leaning slice of Sarpy County in the Legislature, tipped her hand in recent social media posts encouraging people to attend an announcement this weekend.
An Instagram account called Carol Blood for Congress shared a campaign poster from 1st District U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb. The “F” in Flood is marked out and replaced with a “B.”
Scrawled above it is a simple message: “Fixed it!”
“In case you haven’t heard, we are going to rock this campaign,” the post says. It invites people to her kickoff at the electrical workers’ union hall in Lincoln at 1 p.m. Saturday.
A campaign website at www.carolbloodforcongress.com also briefly went live, including a not-yet-activated link to raise funds against a congressional incumbent.
What a Blood campaign might include
Several Blood supporters say she will emphasize her work helping veterans as the state senator who represents Offutt Air Force Base.
She will also likely talk about her work encouraging the Legislature to cut back on federal mandates requiring spending by schools and local governments that cost property taxpayers.
Blood is a former Bellevue city councilwoman. She has previously discussed the need for the state and federal governments to invest more in rural health care and mental health care.
Political observers say Blood could make Flood work in the GOP-leaning 1st District, which includes Lincoln, Norfolk (Flood’s hometown) and Bellevue, but they consider him the favorite.
Blood, who is term-limited in the Legislature, has been coy in recent weeks when asked about her future, but she did not deny she might be considering a bid. On Monday, she acknowledged the postings as works in progress.
Blood had not yet filed with the Secretary of State to run or with the Federal Election Commission to raise funds. But a handful of Democrats confirmed privately that the bid is real.
Flood awaits
Nebraska Democratic Party chair Jane Kleeb had said the party would field a challenger for Flood, who is seeking a second term after winning a special election and general election in 2022.
Flood replaced former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned after he was convicted of three felonies stemming from illegal foreign campaign funds raised for his campaign.
Fortenberry has since had his convictions reversed because of questions raised about whether it was appropriate to try him in California. Prosecutors said they are “evaluating potential next steps.”
Flood’s campaign had no immediate comment on Blood’s likely bid. He defeated Democratic State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln in the 2022 special and general elections.
Flood is a former speaker of the officially nonpartisan Legislature. In Congress, he has adopted more of the language of national Republicans, including on immigration enforcement.
He has also emphasized the need for House Republicans to restrain the spending impulses of Democratic Senate leaders and President Joe Biden.
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.
Any more challengers?
Flood is running in a state political environment where some leaders in the Nebraska Republican Party have been courting primary challengers to run against some GOP incumbents. He does not yet face one.
In the Omaha-based 2nd District, four-term Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., of Papillion, faces two challengers in his May primary: Dan Frei of Omaha and Michael Connely of York. The primary winner is expected to face Democratic State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha. Vargas fell three points short of Bacon in 2022.
In the largely rural 3rd District, nine-term Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., of Gering, also faces a Republican challenger: John Walz, a Hastings engineer. Democrats say they intend to field a candidate, too.
Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Will Pauling (6) celebrates with quarterback Braedyn Locke (18) after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Both programs enter play Saturday trying to figure out who they are and what they have left in the tank.
Wisconsin will be working with a new play-caller on offense, attempting to reestablish their strong form from earlier in the season. If the Badgers are to get back on track, it will be as a result of the reemergence of Tawee Walker in the backfield. Braedyn Locke is more suited for a rush-heavy attack on offense, sprinkling in passes when needed.
On the other side, after being a top 25 team, Nebraska fell back into the program’s old ways, losing several consecutive one-score games. Losers of four straight and at home for the last time in 2024, Matt Rhule’s squad will be itching to snap the 10-game skid versus Wisconsin. I’m inclined to go with history here.
Prediction: Wisconsin 24, Nebraska 20
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Is Nebraska a new tourism hot spot?
A new report from Visit Nebraska shows a major increase in travel, providing an economic boost.
Last year, out-of-state visitors spent $4.6 billion in Nebraska, an all-time record.
And since 2019, the number of overnight hotel guests has doubled, with 76% of them coming from out of state.
What happened in 2019? Visit Nebraska began a new marketing strategy that included ideas such as finding out what locations it should be promoting and focusing on attracting out of state visitors.
“Truly it’s just because people have been invited to the state in a way they understand, in a way that makes sense,” said John Ricks, executive director of Visit Nebraska, also known as the Nebraska Tourism Commission.
SEE ALSO: Nebraska tourism slogan is no more. ‘Everything has a shelf life,’ official says
Ricks says the preconceived notion of Nebraska being a flyover state isn’t true. The commission just had to let people know what the state offers.
After talking with out-of-state visitors, it learned what barriers were keeping people from the Cornhusker State.
“There’s just a simple awareness problem and a familiarity problem,” Ricks said.
SEE ALSO: Nebraska Tourism receives second national award for ‘not for everyone’ campaign
We asked users of the Now Local News App, some who live here and some who don’t, what their favorite spots are in Nebraska.
“I think that going out to western Nebraska is my family’s favorite place to go,” Melanie Dawkins said. “I don’t think enough Nebraskans make it all the way out there, like to the Panhandle.”
Kimberly Grace, who lives out of state, said she likes visiting the Stuhr Museum at Grand Island.
“You can learn about the pioneer days, and they have houses that they put on the land where you can go to visit.”
SEE ALSO: Rooms fill up in Lincoln, one of Airbnb renters’ top college football destinations
Ricks says to keep this growth going, it’s always going to be about getting the word out.
“The more people we make aware, the more people who are discovering that, ‘Hey, whatever I heard in the past isn’t true, and this is actually a cool place.’”
According to Ricks, despite the 2023 numbers just getting released, this year’s numbers are already beating last year’s by over 10%.
Nebraska
Wisconsin and Nebraska are both seeking bowl eligibility and an end to their losing streaks
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Bowl eligibility goes to the winner. Wisconsin is looking to extend its bowl streak to 22 seasons, third-longest in the nation. Nebraska has lost four straight after a 5-1 start and is looking to go to a bowl for the first time since 2016, the longest drought in the Power Four. The Badgers, losers of three straight, have clinched bowl eligibility the last two years with wins over Nebraska.
KEY MATCHUP
Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola vs. Wisconsin pass defense. Raiola will be playing his second game with new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen as the play-caller. The freshman has struggled against Big Ten opponents. He’s thrown just three touchdown passes and been intercepted eight times over the last six games. Wisconsin has one of the best pass defenses in the conference and has allowed just three TD passes in six games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Wisconsin: QB Braedyn Locke, like Raiola, has struggled and will have a new offensive coordinator following the firing of Phil Longo. The Badgers have scored a combined 33 points during their three-game losing streak, with Locke completing 49.4% of his passes (49 of 99) with two TDs and four interceptions.
Nebraska: DE Ty Robinson, a sixth-year player, will need to be his best in his final home game going against a Wisconsin offensive line that has allowed just 11 sacks. He’s one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the Big Ten, with 10 tackles for loss and six sacks.
FACTS & FIGURES
Wisconsin has won 10 straight meetings with Nebraska, including all nine since the Freedom Trophy was introduced in 2014. The Badgers are 11-1 against Nebraska since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. … Nebraska is 0-8 under second-year coach Matt Rhule when trying to win a sixth game to become bowl-eligible. … Badgers have allowed only two plays of 40-plus yards, tied with Ohio State for fewest in the country. … Wisconsin’s Tawee Walker is averaging 97.3 rushing yards per game in his six Big Ten starts.
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