Nebraska State Sen. Carol Blood poised to run against Rep. Mike Flood for Congress

BELLEVUE, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) – 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.

The Nebraska Republican Party headquarters in downtown Lincoln on Oct. 31, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

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.

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