Nebraska Republican Senate Primary Update

By Rob Janicki
Tuesday saw an upset of no small significance in the Nebraska Republican senatorial primary when Nebraska State Senator Deb Fischer upset the two favorites in the race.   We are beginning to see a shift in the Republican party from the old line establishment to an upstart and insurgent conservative element along the lines of the Tea Party.

NYT
[...]  Ms. Fischer, a 61-year-old rancher who has not sought statewide office before now, upended expectations in Washington and scrambled the calculations of both parties. For months, the race was seen as a two-man contest between Mr. Bruning, 43, and Don Stenberg, the state treasurer who was endorsed by Senator Jim DeMint, a Tea Party kingmaker from South Carolina, and the conservative Club for Growth.

Instead, with 78.5 percent of precincts reporting, Ms. Fischer came out on top with 40 percent, followed by Mr. Bruning with 36 percent.  Mr. Stenberg ended the night a distant third, with 19 percent.  [...]

Ms. Fischer was recently endorsed by Sarah Palin, who, with her husband Todd, engaged in robo calls around the state on behalf of Ms. Fischer.

Ms. Fischer will now face Democrat retread Bob Kerry who was courted by Nebraska Democrats to return from 10 years in New York, to run on the Democrat ticket this November.  Kerry, a former Nebraska governor and senator, is running behind in the polls.