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Robynn Tysver has worked for the past eight years as the chief political reporter for the Omaha World-Herald. In addition to politics, she covered the Nebraska Legislature for five years. You can subscribe to updates on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
Low-calorie snacks for hungry political junkies.
Pelosi's Coming to Omaha
Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats' congressional lightning rod, is coming to Omaha next month to raise cash for an Iowa congressman.
Why Omaha, you ask?
Because that's where the cash is.
Pelosi will be the featured speaker at a March 2 fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell at the Field Club. Retired Omaha businessman Dick Holland, one of the state's biggest Democratic donors, is helping sponsor the gathering.
Boswell is running for re-election in Iowa's newly drawn 3rd Congressional District, which includes much of southwest Iowa, including Council Bluffs.
Hassebrook all in for Senate
Democrat Chuck Hassebrook is not hedging bets in his long-shot race for U.S. Senate.
Hassebrook officially took a 10-month unpaid leave of absence from his job as head of the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, Neb.
Hassebrook stepped forward to run after Nebraska's two biggest Democratic names — Bob Kerrey and Ben Nelson — opted out.
Hassebrook faces a Herculean task. Few people outside political circles know him, and fundraising is going to be tough, to say the least. It goes without saying that Hassebrook working the state and its telephone lines will be a full-time job.
Dueling Polls
Two different polls taken by two different polling firms have yielded two very different results in Nebraska's GOP Senate race.
Of course, each of the polls were paid for by political committees backing different candidates.
Let's go to the latest poll first. It was done by Citizens United, which is backing Attorney General Jon Bruning.
It shows Bruning polling at 48 percent, State Treasurer Don Stenberg at 19 percent and State Sen. Deb Fischer at 10 percent.
The automated telephone poll lists 20 percent of voters as undecided. It was conducted by Wenzel Strategies between Feb. 17-19.
Now, to the Stenberg poll.
A poll taken by the Senate Conservatives Fund founded by tea party favorite U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina shows Stenberg closing the gap in the race.
DeMint has endorsed Stenberg.
It showed Bruning at 32 percent, Stenberg 26 and Fischer 11. About 30 percent of voters were undecided.
This poll was conducted by Basswood Research between Jan. 23-24.
It's all very interesting, but, at this stage of the game, polls in primaries don't tell us very much. A lot can happen between now and May 15, and we suspect a lot of voters haven't made fast or firm decisions about the race.
It's a primary. Political junkies are tuned in, but Joe and Jill Pachyderm are probably more interested in Romney vs. Santorum than Bruning vs. Stenberg.
Who's Coming to the Pachyderm Luncheon?
State Sen. Deb Fischer is the next speaker set to appear at Monday's weekly gathering of the Great Omaha Pachyderm Luncheon.
The GOP gathering is set for noon at the Garden Cafe in Rockbrook Village.
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