Heineman may run unopposed

To have or not to have a candidate for governor?

That’s the question Nebraska Democrats are struggling with this summer after the abrupt departure of Omaha investment banker Mark Lakers from the race.

With less than four months left in the election cycle, Democrats are weighing the pros and cons of whether or not to field a candidate.

Any candidate would need the equivalent of a political miracle to defeat Republican Gov. Dave Heineman and his $1.5 million war chest at this late hour.

The question then becomes whether it is better to have at least someone’s name on the ballot to give voters a choice or to take the hit now and skip the election.

“If it’s just to have somebody on the ballot, I think it’s a waste of everybody’s time,” said State Sen. Jeremy Nordquist, who echoed what several Democrats have said publicly and privately — then said he would not run.

Lakers created the void on the ballot when he dropped out of the race in recent weeks amid questions surrounding the veracity of his campaign financial reports.

Lakers reported receiving about $600,000 in campaign pledges from some of the state’s most respected companies and donors. However, numerous people and companies have come forward saying they never promised to give any money to Lakers’ campaign.

Lakers has denied all wrongdoing, saying it was a misunderstanding. But Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, a Republican, is weighing whether to pursue criminal charges.

Vic Covalt, chairman of the Nebraska Democratic Party, says he believes the Democrats will find a candidate to challenge Heineman. He also disputes the notion it is too late to mount a challenge, arguing that Heineman is vulnerable on several fronts.

Covalt said Heineman should be taken to task for opposing prenatal care for women in this country illegally and for losing millions in Medicaid funding for the Beatrice State Development Center.

However, Covalt said, he has not yet found a candidate.

The issue is likely to come up at the party’s state convention on the weekend of July 23. Under state law, a party has the ability to nominate a candidate from the floor of the convention and place their name on the ballot, if done by Sept. 1.

Several key Democrats who had been considered likely prospects have said they would not run, including former Omaha Mayor Mike Boyle and Chuck Hassebrook, a University of Nebraska regent.

One prospective contender, Mike Meister of Scottsbluff, says he is considering a run. Meister is an attorney who ran against Bruning for attorney general in 2002.

But Meister offered a big caveat to running — saying the party must agree to raise the cash for his campaign. Typically, candidates must raise the money for their own campaigns, because donors are more likely to back a person rather than a party.

“If they expect me to get in at this late date, they need to find the money,” said Meister. “I’m not going to be a sacrificial lamb.”

If the Democrats do not field a candidate, it would be the first time in at least 70 years that a major political party in Nebraska did not run a candidate for governor.

“It’s unfortunate and not the democratic way. Competition is at the heart of the democratic process. This situation is nothing short of a disaster,” said Paul Landow, a Democrat and political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Without an opponent, Heineman can run unopposed and unchallenged. He would not have to defend his record in debates.

“I would love to see a debate between a candidate and Dave Heineman. I would like to see a debate about the future of our state. I think Nebraskans deserve that,” said State Sen. Heath Mello, a Democrat from Omaha.

However, Mello, like others, says he does not believe in putting up a candidate just to have a name on the ballot. Any candidate the party finds to run should be a credible one who can challenge Heineman in a serious debate.

He says the hurdles to finding such a candidate so late in the process are huge, but he continues to hold out hope.

“There are a lot of serious Democrats and Independents who could run against Heineman. It’s a matter of if anyone wants to step up and do that,” said Mello, who added that he will not run.

Contact the writer:

444-1309, robynn.tysver@owh.com

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