Politics & Elections

With Nebraska’s primary election approaching, the candidates for the Second Congressional District are talking jobs, the economy, and federal spending.

The primary election is next Tuesday. Second District Congressman Lee Terry is running for his seventh term in the U.S. House. Terry’s campaign chairman, Dave Boomer, says the Congressman is focusing his campaign on spending and fiscal accountability.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney says the Keystone XL pipeline project should be built. 

Romney spoke at a campaign rally Thursday afternoon in Omaha. The rally comes five days before Nebraska’s primary election. During his ten-minute speech to an overflow crowd, Romney talked about jobs, health care, and domestic sources of energy. He says all sources of power should be considered, including the Keystone XL pipeline. 

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will campaign Thursday in Omaha.

A news release from Romney’s campaign says the former Massachusetts Governor will speak Thursday afternoon at a rally at Rick’s Café Boatyard. The stop comes five days before Nebraska’s primary election.

In 2008, President Obama won the electoral vote tied to Nebraska’s Second Congressional District. Senator John McCain won Nebraska’s First and Third Congressional District votes.

Russia’s Ambassador to the U.S. says two decades after the Cold War, relations between the two countries remain complex.

Sergey Kislyak discussed international relations during a forum Thursday night at UNO. Kislyak has served as Ambassador since 2008, and says the relationship between the U.S. and Russia has improved steadily over the past few years.

The Douglas County Election Commission will reopen some of the 179 polling places closed prior to this year’s primary election.

Election Commissioner Dave Phipps says the polling places will reopen before the November general election. How many polling places will reopen has yet to be determined. Primary election turnout, along with general election results from the past two presidential elections, will determine which polling places reopen.

The federal deficit was on the minds of the GOP candidates for Nebraska’s Second Congressional District at a debate Friday. The Omaha Press Club and League of Women Voters sponsored the debate.

Incumbent Congressman Lee Terry has three challengers. One is financial advisor Brett Lindstrom. UNO mathematics professor Jack Heidel and former Douglas County Republican Party Chairman Glenn Freeman are also running for Congress.