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.
Nebraska
Nebraska Dept. of Agriculture proposes ban on food and beverages containing any amount of THC
LINCOLN, Neb. — A public hearing Thursday drew strong opposition to proposed rules that would label food adulterated and illegal if it contains any amount of THC and its derivatives, potentially decimating Nebraska’s hemp and CBD industry.
The regulations would affect products like gummies, beverages and oral tinctures. Over 490 people wrote in opposition to the new regulations, while only three supported them.
The rule changes stem from an executive order issued by Gov. Jim Pillen in January requiring state agencies to review laws regarding the use of synthetic THC in food and beverages. The order was made to align with federal law coming in November 2026, which bans synthetic THC products and limits total THC concentrations in hemp products to not exceed 0.4 milligrams per container.
The proposed Nebraska rule goes beyond that federal standard.
“I would say it’d be similar other than it does say no THC. It is zero THC,” said Andrew Bish, chief operating officer of Bish Enterprises. “It’s not we are deferring to the federal government standard and aligning with the federal government standard. It is, in fact, a different standard.”
Fifteen speakers testified during the hearing, with many calling for the Department of Agriculture to regulate the industry rather than enforce outright bans.
“I respectfully urge the department to pursue a balanced science-based approach that protects public safety, targets specific problems, strengths and standards where necessary and holds bad actors accountable without unnecessarily eliminating access to products that may Nebraskans find valuable and beneficial,” said Dr. Andrea Holmes, a professor of chemistry at Doane University.
Many who testified were shop owners who said the regulations would result in major business losses and reduced state revenue.
“In 2025, we pay over $1 million in sales tax. We expect to be over $1.3 million in 2026,” one speaker from The Cannabis Factory said. “We’re not opposed to regulation, or oversight, or even additional taxation.”
The Department of Agriculture will review comments and decide if any changes need to be made. If not, the regulations go to the attorney general and the governor for approval.
The regulations include a carve out for the medical cannabis acts, meaning people with medical cannabis cards could get prescriptions that would not be affected by this proposed regulation change.
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Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said Thursday that he has asked President Donald Trump to issue a major disaster declaration for damage caused by storms that hit the state May 15-18.
The storms spawned tornadoes and flash flooding across Buffalo, Fillmore, Gage, Howard, Jefferson, Nemaha, Thayer and Thurston counties. There were numerous downed power poles and lines as well as extensive damage to schools, building and roadways. Damage just to public infrastructure is estimated at nearly $5 million.
In addition to the disaster declaration request, Pillen said he also has requested access to the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which provides funding to governments to allow them to rebuild in ways that will reduce or mitigate future disaster losses. Approval would allow the state to apply for such grants.
Thursday’s disaster declaration request is the second in two months. Back in May, Pillen requested one for historic wildfires in March that impacted Arthur, Garden, Grant, Lincoln and Morill counties. At the time of the request, it was estimated there was at least $9.7 million in damage from the fires, which were the worst in Nebraska’s history.
Nebraska
Bandits back in the win column with tournament-opening victory in Nebraska – East Idaho News
OMAHA, Neb. – The Bandits opened the Omaha, Nebraska tournament with a 7-4 win over Fremont.
The Bandits, coming off two losses to Billings at last week’s Bandits Invitational, trailed 4-3 in the fifth, but tied it up on a sac fly by Cole Croft.
They scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth for the win.
Carter Bowen finished 3 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Conner Cannon and Taye Lords each knocked in two runs for Idaho Falls (10-2).
Tyson Christenson picked up the win with four innings of relief.
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