The decision of freshman Sen. Mike Johanns to retire at the end of his first term took Senate colleagues by surprise. But with Nebraska solidly in Republican hands both at the state and congressional level, his departure isn't likely to revise the odds for a GOP takeover of the Senate in 2014.
Still, the Republican primary gave the tea party a lift, as Midland University President Ben Sasse, with strong support from outside conservative groups, defeated former state Treasurer Shane Osborn, a Navy war hero, in a race that highlighted sharp divisions in GOP ranks.
On March 28, FreedomWorks, a national conservative group that backs tea-party candidates, flipped its endorsement from Mr. Osborn to Mr. Sasse, citing Osborn's ties to national establishment Republicans. "At this point, it is clear that Shane Osborn formed allegiances with Mitch McConnell and the K Street lobbying class. For us, that progression away from the grassroots has tipped the balance,” said Matt Kibbe, president of FreedomWorks, in a statement.
Mr. Sasse, who won 48 percent of the vote in a five-person field, is a former assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services in the George W. Bush administration. He also worked with GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney on his transition team. He was also backed by tea party Sen. Ted Cruz (R) of Texas and former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Sid Dinsdale, the president of Pinnacle Bank, ran a surprise second in the May 13 primary and Mr. Osborn finished third.
Democrats, who currently hold no major statewide office, had difficulty recruiting candidates for this race. When Sen. Ben Nelson (D) of Nebraska announced his retirement in 2012, Democrats persuaded former Sen. Bob Kerrey, also a former governor, to return to Nebraska and get into the race. He lost to two-term state Sen. Deb Fisher by 16 percentage points. Sasse is heavily favored to defeat Democratic nominee Dave Domina, an Omaha attorney.
