Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.In his last election, U.S. Rep. Lee Terry fended off the primary challenge of a single Republican who surprised many by scoring a healthy 37 percent of the vote despite a shoestring campaign.
This year, the Omaha area's seven-term Republican incumbent faces opposition from four GOP challengers, one of whom said 2010 challenger Matt Sakalosky's strong finish showed Terry was vulnerable.
"It tells me people in the district are ready for something different," said challenger Brett Lindstrom, 30, a financial adviser from Omaha.
Unlike many of his fellow GOP incumbents in the Midlands, Terry, 50, does not have the luxury of a free pass in the primary.
In fact, of the five Republican incumbents in western Iowa and Nebraska, only Terry, in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, has drawn credible GOP challengers this year. No one has stepped up to challenge Reps. Tom Latham and Steve King in western Iowa or Rep. Adrian Smith in central and western Nebraska.
Nationally, Terry is far from the only Republican incumbent this year to face a primary challenge, said Nathan Gonzales, deputy editor of the Rothenberg Political Report.
With Congress' approval rating at an all-time low — 11 percent in December — more and more people are challenging incumbents, said Gonzales, who monitors congressional races.
Gonzales did not know how many Republican incumbents face competitive primaries this year — the filing deadlines for the states vary — but he expects more challengers this spring.
"There is such dissatisfaction with Washington, we're seeing a new crop of people who feel like this is their time. They're so upset with what they see in Congress, they think they can do a better job," he said.
Terry acknowledges a "throw-the-bums out" feeling in the air, but he also says he is a target because he serves in a competitive district.
The Omaha congressional district is nearly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. In the 2008 general election, the district returned Terry to Congress and awarded Democrat Barack Obama one electoral vote for president.
Terry said he will always face stiff competition from Democrats who want the seat and Republicans who, he says, do not believe he is conservative enough. In addition to the Republicans challenging him, two Democrats are running to face him — State Sen. Gwen Howard of Omaha and Douglas County Treasurer John Ewing Jr.
"I'm a congressman from a swing district," Terry said. "By definition, you're never safe."
The one bright spot for Terry this year may be the size of the competition. Conventional wisdom holds that the more challengers an incumbent attracts, the better his or her odds to win.
That's because challengers tend to divide the anti-incumbent vote. A good example occurred in the last election cycle in Indiana, when U.S. Rep. Dan Burton won the GOP nomination with 30 percent of the vote, defeating six challengers.
Another arrow in Terry's quiver is money. So far, he has an overwhelming fundraising advantage.
Terry had stockpiled $435,000 in cash by the end of last year. In comparison, Lindstrom had $13,000 in the bank and Jack Heidel, a math professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, had $8,000.
The two other GOP candidates did not get into the race until this year and have not had to file campaign reports with the Federal Election Commission.
Glenn Freeman, 76, a former chairman of the Douglas County Republican Party, says he has raised about $10,000. A fourth candidate, Paul Anderson, claimed pauper status when he filed for office last week.
The GOP candidates said that they did not expect to raise more money than Terry, but that they believed a grassroots campaign could get the job done.
Heidel, 72, is running on a single issue — the national debt. He said Terry deserves some of the blame, as an incumbent, for the nation's debt load growing over the last 13 years.
He said his message to dramatically reduce government spending is resonating with people he meets when knocking on doors. He said he talks to about 30 voters almost every night, as he canvasses neighborhoods.
"Every night people thank me for running and taking on the establishment," Heidel said.
For his part, Lindstrom is running as a fresh face. He is the youngest candidate in the race and also is running on a platform to cut spending. Lindstrom and his supporters have attended numerous GOP functions in the district, hoping to attract Republicans disgruntled with Terry.
"We do need somebody with fresh new ideas," Lindstrom said.
Freeman, 76, is banking on his longtime ties to the Republican Party. He has been active in the party for decades and served more than a dozen years as an aide to former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel. He thinks he is the only GOP challenger with the "stature" to defeat Terry.
"As soon as the weather hits, I'm going to walk to just about every door in the district," he said.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1309, robynn.tysver@owh.com
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