November State Chair's Update

Dear Friends –


You may have recently read in the Omaha World Herald that our Party is close to death. Let me take this opportunity to assure you that Mike Kelly is dead wrong.

The Nebraska Democratic Party is certainly not dead. We are very much alive, and we continue a period of aggressive rebuilding. Last year Ben Nelson was re-elected by an overwhelming margin. Since 2004, we have gained a net of six seats in the State Legislature, although one of our candidates, once elected, defected to the other side. We have elected Democrats all over the State to local offices. In fact, the only major election which has occurred since November 2006 was Lincoln’s mayoral race – which Chris Beutler won. We now hold the mayor’s office in Nebraska’s two largest cities.

We of course were disappointed by the decisions of Senator Bob Kerrey and Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey regarding the U.S. Senate race. Yet, we understood why they each decided not to seek the seat. Senator Kerrey spent many years putting Nebraska families first. And now, Nebraskans understand that he needed to put his family first when coming to a decision. Mike Fahey is doing a tremendous job as Mayor of Omaha. His decision to stick with it is very good news for the city.

Our discussions with Scott Kleeb and several other individuals who have expressed interest in seeking the Democratic Senate nomination continue. I believe that we will have at least one candidate in the race soon.

For far too long our Party focused solely on finding candidates for federal races. While we placed our eggs in those limited baskets, we failed to build a bench for future races. In 2004 and again in 2008, our focus has been and must be on state legislative and other down-ballot races. In doing so, we are working for our future, recruiting and supporting future candidates for Governor, U.S. House and Senate and other statewide offices.

We will, of course, do everything we can to support any Democratic candidates for federal offices in 2008. But, we must keep our eyes on the ball – building for the future.

I am pleased to tell you that we have recruited an impressive group of candidates for Legislature from all over the state. Many of these men and women are new faces and will bring a fresh perspective to the Unicameral and to our Party. Without a doubt, this is the strongest recruiting class we’ve had in many years. Term limits provide us with a tremendous opportunity, one we are definitely capitalizing on.

Our three DNC funded field organizers are on the ground in each congressional district, working hard every day. They are tasked with organizing Democrats at the grassroots level and have been doing a tremendous job. Recently, they wrapped up a series of year-out events throughout the state. More than 200 people attended these events in more than 20 homes and similar neighborhood based locations. Our field staff also traveled to eight communities throughout Nebraska providing “Grassroots Academy” trainings. More than 200 people attended these events in communities from Gering to Fremont.

In the 3rd Congressional District, Dave Wolf has been focusing on working with existing county chairs and recruiting new leaders in unorganized counties. Through his hard work, we now have six new county chairs and several new county party contacts.

As you all know, the 2008 Nebraska Presidential Caucus is fast approaching. On December 8th, we’ll gather in Lincoln for our quarterly SCC meeting. The focus of the day will be on preparing for the caucuses. We’ll begin at 9:00 a.m. with a caucus training and discussion. At 11:00 a.m., Eric Fought, our Party’s Communications Director will lead us through a media relations training and discussion of our Caucus Communications Plan. At noon, the Congressional District Caucuses will meet. And at 1:00 p.m., we’ll convene the State Central Committee meeting. I hope you can join us for part or all of the day. The meeting will be held at the Lincoln Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street.

Our online Events Center at www.nebraskademocrats.org now features the ability for counties to list their caucus locations. I encourage all county chairs to use this tool. And for those of you looking for where and when you will go to caucus on February 9th, keep checking the website for these details. To find caucus educational materials and other information, go to www.nebraskademocrats.org/caucus

My friends, the Nebraska Democratic Party is truly alive and fighting – day in and day out. We’re focused on building a strong Party for generations to come. And with your continued help, we will do just that.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season. I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

Steve Achelpohl

State Chair

I think NE Democrats are a long ways from being a dominant political force, but at least they are showing signs of life and attracting candidates that may not have a big name (Kleeb and Esch) but seem very bright and mainstream enough to be elected. If we continue to field candidates as good as these, we will win races in the future and maybe the very near future.

for the republican party like Nelson does.

We don't have a democratic party here. We have two side of the republican party. We desperately need new blood to run for office. People with a firm belief of a true understanding of what being a democrat means.