Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska will announce today that he is retiring after two terms, a serious blow to Democratic efforts to hold onto their majority in the chamber next November.
On one hand, it’s easy to underestimate the power of incumbency. On the other, the man couldn’t even eat a pizza in peace after casting a decisive vote for ObamaCare and tossing his pro-life credentials into the wastebasket by doing so. Nelson wasn’t going to get re-elected, and would likely have lost by a wide margin in a very red state, especially in a presidential election cycle.
It's good news for Republicans, but incredibly bad for Democrats who need the equivalent of a Christmas miracle to keep the seat.
Democrats have no candidate waiting in the wings. They will have to scramble for a candidate who can quickly organize a statewide campaign and raise millions in less than a year, while competing against Republicans who have been in campaign mode for more than a year.
...Nelson was considered one of the most vulnerable incumbent Democrats in the U.S. Senate, in large part, because of a single vote. Nelson cast the crucial 60th vote in support of President Obama's controversial health-care package in December of 2009.
His vote and the subsequent national outcry over the so-called Cornhusker Kickback - an amendment inserted into the health-care bill to garner Nelson's vote - seriously damaged his political reputation on the homefront....
