Kerrey Bows Out of NE. Senate Race, GOP Win Likely

This is great news for Republican chances to pick up the Senate.  Ben Nelson, the current mostly conservative Democrat Senator from Nebraska is retiring rather than face what would have been a certain defeat after he sold out to Obama on Obamacare.  The voters of Nebraska have never forgiven him for going left with Obama after being pretty conservative on key issues before Obama was elected.  

With the Republican numbers looking so good and Kerrey's so bad no wonder he decided to drop out.   We give Bob Kerrey kudos for seeing the writing on the wall and deciding not to run.  Didn't think his heart was in running and being a member of the Senate again.  He seems pretty happy he is out of politics today.  Who can blame him after what we have been seeing in recent years.

Race, GOP Win Likely
Wednesday, 07 Mar 2012 01:14 PM
By Martin Gould 

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey has decided against trying to regain his Nebraska seat in the November elections, almost certainly gifting it to Republicans, RealClearPolitics reports.
Incumbent Ben Nelson, considered the most conservative Democrat in the upper chamber, is retiring and Kerrey was seen as the Democrats’ last best chance for keeping the seat in the blue column. 

But after weeks of toying with the idea, Kerrey decided not to run, according to RealClearPolitics. “I have chosen what I believe is best for my family and me,” he said in a statement released Tuesday. 

Kerrey was running well behind Republicans vying for their party’s nomination. A Rasmussen Reports poll released Tuesday showed him 22 points behind the favorite, state Attorney General Jon Bruning; 18 points behind former Attorney General Don Stenberg; and 12 points behind state Sen. Deb Fischer. Kerrey decided to bow out shortly after those poll results were released. 

A Kerrey candidacy would have forced Republicans to expend a significant amount of money and resources in Nebraska, RealClearPolitics reports. Now the GOP — which had targeted Nebraska even before Nelson's retirement announcement — is in better position to win a majority in the Senate, which requires a net gain of four seats.

Republicans say Kerrey's exit reflects the challenge Democrats face in battleground states, especially with President Obama at the top of the ballot. "Kerrey’s decision to stay in New York is a blow to the Democrats’ hopes of holding their Senate majority and reiterates why we believe Nebraskans will elect a fiscally-responsible, conservative Republican Senator next fall," said National Republican Senatorial Committee Spokesman Brian Walsh in a statement. 

His decision not to run means that Nebraska Regent Chuck Hassebrook and state Sen. Steve Lathrop are likely to fight for the Democratic nomination, RealClearPolitics reports.
Kerrey served in the Senate for two terms but quit during the 2000 election campaign to become president of the New School in New York City. He ran in the 1992 Democratic presidential race, where he was briefly seen as the front-runner over eventual winner Bill Clinton.

Read more on Newsmax.com: Kerrey Bows Out of Neb. Senate Race, GOP Win Likely