Paul Hammel: 'Hall of Hot Winds' gasses up for election season
Rumors are as common around the State Capitol as brome grass in a roadside ditch.
It’s not called “The Hall of Hot Winds” for nothing.
Paul Hammel
And that rumor mill gets cranked up big time during election season, when there’s speculation aplenty about who is running and who is not, and who can win and who cannot.
By the time you’ve read this, you’ve probably already voted in the May 12 primary.
The rumor mill had Falls City businessman Charles Herbster as a likely primary challenger to incumbent Jim Pillen, who had edged Herbster in the GOP primary four years ago.
But Herbster opted out, likely because he saw the size of Pillen’s campaign war chest ($10 million) and because President Trump had endorsed the incumbent governor instead of Herbster (who, four years ago, was Trump’s favorite).
That has led speculation that Pillen’s re-election as a foregone conclusion.
He’s a Republican in a state where the GOP enjoys nearly a 2-to-1 advantage over registered Democrats. Pillen hasn’t committed any horrendous errors while in office, though there’s grumbling about sluggish job growth, and the loss of 3,000 jobs when Tyson’s huge plant shut down in Lexington.
And we’re still waiting to see if anything comes of his awarding a no-bid, $2.5 million contract to a favorite lobbyist. At press time, the Lincoln Police were still investigating if any laws were broken.
It’s been a long time since an incumbent governor in Nebraska has been defeated. The last time was in 1990, when Republican Gov. Kay Orr was upset by Democrat Ben Nelson. But back then, registered “Ds” were about as common as registered “Rs” in the state.
(That was when a gallon of gas cost about 90 cents a gallon. Boy, wouldn’t we like to see that again?)
Anyway, when people ask me if the Democratic challenger to Pillen, former State Sen. Lynne Walz, has a chance, my answer is “why not?”
Elected officials are about as unpopular as a cold sore these days. Just ask Donald Trump and, a couple of years ago, Joe Biden.
Voters seem as uneasy as ever about things like the economy (shaky), consumer prices (going up instead of down) and world affairs (really, we needed to go to war in Iran?). So challengers who offer a legitimate promise of change have a pathway to beat an incumbent.
Of course, we might see another challenger to Pillen besides Walz.
Brett Lindstrom, a former state senator and ex-Nebraska quarterback reserve, is kicking tires about a run for governor as a nonpartisan.
Lindstrom had mounted a campaign for the Republican nomination in the 2nd Congressional District, but dropped out in January, saying he didn’t want to be a part of a horribly divided Congress.
Interestingly, Lindstrom changed his party registration to “nonpartisan” two months later, which would allow him to run for governor as an independent.
Can a nonpartisan win? Two years ago, a nonpartisan, mechanic/labor leader Dan Osborn put a scare into U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, who was supposed to be a shoo-in for re-election. So you gotta think an independent candidate could win.
But Lindstrom, as well as Walz, face plenty of questions. Could they raise enough money to mount a strong campaign against Pillen? Wouldn’t they just split the votes of those who don’t want another Pillen term?
There’s word that the Columbus hog producer/veterinarian is not universally loved around Omaha, the state’s largest city and home to some major political campaign donors. But would those interests take a risk and support a non-incumbent?
You gotta admit, Lindstrom certainly looks the part of a governor. He’s a tall, slim, blond dude who appears ready to sling a pigskin. And Walz is a smart, former teacher. Either might present a more upbeat image in recruiting new businesses than Pillen, who has never won accolades for his oratory skills.
So there you go. A lot of hot wind from the Capitol, that might never come true.
Personally, I’d rather see something other than hot winds, like some soaking rains.
Paul Hammel has covered the Nebraska state government and the state for decades. He is a retired senior reporter for the Nebraska Examiner and the former Capitol Bureau Chief for the Omaha World-Herald. A native of Ralston, Nebraska, he loves traveling and writing about the state.
