True test of Nebraska term limits about to begin
7:36 AM
Posted: Wednesday, November 05, 2008
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- When state senators gear up for the legislative session in January, one meeting is expected to have a particularly high attendance: orientation.
Nebraska voters on Tuesday completed a clean sweep of veteran lawmakers that began in the 2006 election, opening the state Capitol's front door to one of the most inexperienced group of lawmakers in state history.
Fifteen of the 26 state legislative seats that were up for grabs in the general election are occupied by veteran state senators who are being ushered out by term limits.
In 2006, 20 of 49 members were barred from seeking re-election.
Among those being replaced on Tuesday was Nebraska's longest-serving state senator, Ernie Chambers of Omaha. Omaha attorney and former Omaha City Councilwoman Brenda Council got the nod to replace Chambers, with 84 percent of the vote. Dennis Womack got about 16 percent.
Approved by voters in 2000, term limits restrict senators to serving two consecutive four-year terms.
Term limits filled the election landscape with competitive legislative races this year. That may be because many of the races pit Republicans against Democrats, a consequence of the parties more actively recruiting candidates, said legislative expert and retired University of Nebraska-Lincoln political science professor Robert Sittig.
Among the hotly contested races was one to replace state Sen. Vickie McDonald of St. Paul.
In that race, Kate Sullivan, a Cedar Rapids banker, beat Paul Eurek of Loup City, 51 percent to 48 percent with 94 percent of precincts reporting. Eurek had the endorsement of Gov. Dave Heineman, a fellow Republican.
The Legislature is officially nonpartisan.
But while many of the races were considered competitive, five incumbents -- Sens. Gwen Howard of Omaha, Chris Langemeier of Schuyler, Rich Pahls of Omaha, Deb Fischer of Valentine and Abbie Cornett of Bellevue -- faced no challengers.
Sittig said his analysis of the number of candidates before and after term limits showed that term limits has not increased the overall number of candidates.
Legislative observers and even some opponents of term limits have said they were pleasantly surprised by the crop of new state senators elected in 2006. But the upcoming lawmaking session may be a better test of term limits, because there will be no graybeards for new senators to rely upon for guidance.
Among the last of the veteran lawmakers being pushed out by term limits, for example, is Sen. Ron Raikes of Lincoln, who the Legislature for years has heavily relied upon to spearhead education changes, including the dissolution of Class I school districts.
Independent political action committees poured money into legislative races this year.
The membership of at least one of the committees has raised eyebrows and illustrates how party affiliation may be a bigger factor in the Legislature than it has in the past.
Heineman and Attorney General Jon Bruning, both Republicans, were two of the largest contributors to a group, Nebraskans for a Better Tomorrow, that supported conservative candidates.
Nebraska voters on Tuesday completed a clean sweep of veteran lawmakers that began in the 2006 election, opening the state Capitol's front door to one of the most inexperienced group of lawmakers in state history.
Fifteen of the 26 state legislative seats that were up for grabs in the general election are occupied by veteran state senators who are being ushered out by term limits.
In 2006, 20 of 49 members were barred from seeking re-election.
Among those being replaced on Tuesday was Nebraska's longest-serving state senator, Ernie Chambers of Omaha. Omaha attorney and former Omaha City Councilwoman Brenda Council got the nod to replace Chambers, with 84 percent of the vote. Dennis Womack got about 16 percent.
Approved by voters in 2000, term limits restrict senators to serving two consecutive four-year terms.
Term limits filled the election landscape with competitive legislative races this year. That may be because many of the races pit Republicans against Democrats, a consequence of the parties more actively recruiting candidates, said legislative expert and retired University of Nebraska-Lincoln political science professor Robert Sittig.
Among the hotly contested races was one to replace state Sen. Vickie McDonald of St. Paul.
In that race, Kate Sullivan, a Cedar Rapids banker, beat Paul Eurek of Loup City, 51 percent to 48 percent with 94 percent of precincts reporting. Eurek had the endorsement of Gov. Dave Heineman, a fellow Republican.
The Legislature is officially nonpartisan.
But while many of the races were considered competitive, five incumbents -- Sens. Gwen Howard of Omaha, Chris Langemeier of Schuyler, Rich Pahls of Omaha, Deb Fischer of Valentine and Abbie Cornett of Bellevue -- faced no challengers.
Sittig said his analysis of the number of candidates before and after term limits showed that term limits has not increased the overall number of candidates.
Legislative observers and even some opponents of term limits have said they were pleasantly surprised by the crop of new state senators elected in 2006. But the upcoming lawmaking session may be a better test of term limits, because there will be no graybeards for new senators to rely upon for guidance.
Among the last of the veteran lawmakers being pushed out by term limits, for example, is Sen. Ron Raikes of Lincoln, who the Legislature for years has heavily relied upon to spearhead education changes, including the dissolution of Class I school districts.
Independent political action committees poured money into legislative races this year.
The membership of at least one of the committees has raised eyebrows and illustrates how party affiliation may be a bigger factor in the Legislature than it has in the past.
Heineman and Attorney General Jon Bruning, both Republicans, were two of the largest contributors to a group, Nebraskans for a Better Tomorrow, that supported conservative candidates.
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