Trump wins Nebraska popular vote

.@realDonaldTrump wins Nebraska popular vote https://t.co/e1v2UaeViY | AP Photo pic.twitter.com/kgxWmCXzM0

— POLITICO (@politico) November 9, 2016

Top health insurer dropping out of ObamaCare market in Nebraska

Top health insurer dropping out of ObamaCare market in Nebraska https://t.co/S8j2zvg4Ot pic.twitter.com/MzVSdNVnMN

— The Hill (@thehill) September 23, 2016

DEA and cops break up California-to-Nebraska meth trafficking ring tied to Sinaloa Cartel

◼ Over an 18-month period, agents at the Drug Enforcement Administration and law enforcement officers throughout Nebraska dismantled a methamphetamine trafficking ring tied to Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa drug cartel that shipped large amounts of the drug from California to Midwestern states. - FOX Latino

What began in 2013 as an investigation into a mid-level drug dealer led to the arrest this week of at least 20 people along with the seizure of $35,000 and more than 12 lbs of methamphetamine. Authorities also found marijuana and illegal prescription drugs during their round-up.

While the seizure is far from the largest in U.S. history, both local law enforcement and the DEA hailed the effort as a major blow to the drug trafficking organization that operated throughout the Midwest and was responsible for crimes ranging from burglaries to murders.

"We totally dismantled the organization from the higher-ups in California to the criminal users in Omaha," Mike Sanders, the assistant special agent in charge at the DEA’s Omaha office told Fox News Latino. "Not only did it take out the major players but also the low level criminals committing crimes in the community."

Using a number of tactics – such as undercover officers, wire intercepts and controlled buys – law enforcement agents were able to build up a case against the traffickers and track the methamphetamine back to Sinaloa cartel associates operating in California. In September of 2014 investigators seized 5 lbs of methamphetamine transported from California to Omaha.

A major obstacle to Keystone XL just ended...

◼ Nebraska high court tosses Keystone XL challenge - Justin Green and Zach Coleman/Washington Examiner

The court's decision means Keystone XL now has a legal route through the state. That kicks the Keystone XL decision back to President Obama, whose administration has been evaluating the 1,700-mile project for more than six years.

Romney wins Nebraska, Oregon primaries

◼ Mitt Romney won the Nebraska and Oregon Republican primaries on Tuesday, adding to his delegate haul in his march toward the GOP presidential nomination. - Michael O'Brien/NBC

DEB FISCHER PRIMARY VICTORY SHOCKS POLITICAL WORLD

◼ The message was clear: the conservative grassroots are fed up and candidates favored by both the Republican and the Washington conservative establishment are not safe. - Tony Lee/Breitbart

◼ Palin-endorsed Deb Fischer wins Nebraska Senate primary; will face Bob Kerrey in November - Doug Powers/Michelle Malkin

Fischer’s win certainly proves that the influence of Sarah Palin hasn’t waned. Sarah and Todd Palin endorsed Fischer less than a week before the primary, and that gave Fischer the momentum needed to push her over the top.

(Note from MM: An enormous amount of credit goes to ShePAC, which provided early and vocal support for Fischer.)
◼ ShePAC

Poll confirms Dems' uphill battle in Nebraska

◼ When Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., announced his retirement, Democrats received a quick reminder of how bleak 2012 could prove for their Senate prospects. - David Freddoso/Washington Examiner

Democrats' best hope in Nebraska, many have said, would be for former Sen. Bob Kerrey, D to return and run for his old seat...Magellan Strategies, a Republican firm of whose work I am not really a fan, has released the first poll that I am aware of testing Kerrey in head-to-head matchups against the two leading Republican candidates. In both cases, he loses and fails to pull more than 40 percent support....

Even factoring in the Republican lean that Magellan's polls tend to carry, this is an ugly poll, considering that Kerrey is probably the best known and most revered Democrat in the state. For Republicans, this means they might not have to worry too much about who among their primary candidates is "more electable."

But for Democrats, this has a deeper strategic significance. If they begin the 2012 cycle ceding two seats, their odds of holding the Senate majority are very slim.

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.

◼ Add another to the list of Democratic victims of ObamaCare - HotAir

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.

◼ A political tsunami hit Nebraska politics today, with Democratic U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson declining to seek a third term in the U.S. Senate. - Omaha.com

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....