Campaign

When this Do-Less-Than-Do-Nothing Republican Congress adjourns shortly, it will have succeeded in completely ignoring the priorities of the American people, including raising the minimum wage. Republicans played a cynical political game with the minimum wage this session, by holding a long overdue increase in the hostage to a virtual repeal of the estate tax for the wealthiest few Americans.

A group of moderate Republicans wrote a letter earlier this year to Leader Boehner calling for an increase in the minimum wage, yet sat idly by while their leadership tried to hoodwink the American people on this issue. If these members truly believed in raising the minimum wage, they would join Democrats in signing Rep. John Barrow's discharge petition to force a fair up-or-down vote on a wage increase. Their refusal to do so shows that they were really just fighing for political cover for themselves, not for an increase in the minimum wage.

Nebraska exports more than three billion dollars worth of meat, grains, and renewable fuels every year making my state the 4th largest exporter of agriculture products in America. Nearly one fourth of Nebraskans are employed in farm or farm related jobs.

As Nebraska’s Senator and as a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I represent Nebraska’s many agriculture interests because it is my job, but I am honored to know that my work has been noticed by two major farm groups.

I want to thank the Nebraska Farmers Union Political Action Committee and the National Farmers Union Political Action Committee for giving me their endorsements.

I appreciate the recognition and I will continue to fight for family farms, to increase the use of renewable fuels, to maintain a strong safety net for producers, and to make sure agriculture is treated fairly on world trade markets.

With the primary now behind me, I look forward to beginning the next phase in my campaign to continue to represent the views of the independent minded citizens of the 2nd District, focusing on issues such as protecting our environment, supporting increased educational funding and working towards reducing our reliance on foreign fuels through the use of renewable energy sources. Over the last 12 years, I have actively listened to the needs and opinions of my constituents and have consistently responded with results. I look forward to the opportunity to contrast my established record of independent leadership with my opponent's. It is now time to turn attention to the race ahead which will certainly be a challenge and will require our continued hard work.

Democrats have the momentum heading into the final seven weeks of this campaign.  With 49 days to go, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced that we are adding eight races to our Red to Blue program and 15 campaigns to our Emerging Candidates list. These 23 join the 34 Red to Blue candidates who are already solidifying their campaigns through the Red to Blue program.  This is the third wave of the very successful Red to Blue program that has already raised nearly $8.2 million for Democratic candidates this year.  In 2004, Red to Blue raised $7.5 million and averaged more than $250,000 in contributions per campaign.  The Emerging Candidates list is made up of campaigns in traditionally non-competitive districts, and through the strength of their campaigns, have put themselves in a position to win in November.

Both Red to Blue and Emerging Candidates will steer much-needed resources to some of the best campaigns in the country.  These campaigns made these lists by meeting several hard-to-achieve goals – including fundraising, organization, message and strategy – and being a part of these programs will give them the necessary edge they need to stay competitive as November draws ever closer.

Red to Blue and Emerging candidates all represent the new direction that American voters are searching for and all have pledged to put the priorities of middle class families first when they get to Washington.

Whether you have seen the full-page ads when you opened your newspaper, or a billboard truck winding through the streets of Washington, AARP speaks loud and clear when we say “DON’T VOTE Read more...

The news out of the Defense authorization conference is very exciting for the district. We are, after all, the submarine capital of the world and submarines are in our heritage and in our history. I have been concerned about the low rate of production of submarines, especially in light of an increase in production in the Far East. The authorizers basically said that we need two Virginia Class submarines. My constituents know that I have always worked hard for them. Last year, as part of Team Connecticut, I helped save the Groton Submarine Base.

Voters in my district want to see results, not rhetoric.

Rep. Mike Ferguson wants to change the Constitution to make abortion a crime even in the case of rape or incest. My campaign recently launched a new television commercial informing voters of his extreme position on choice.

I have long worked to protect women’s health and defend a woman’s right to choose while in public office. I will always support legislation guaranteeing women access to safe, legal contraceptives and abortion services. I trust women to make the right decision. Nobody – especially Mike Ferguson – has the right to tell a woman what to do with her body. That decision is between a woman, her family, and her doctor.

Watch my commercial and let me know what you think.

Lincoln Chafee's historic victory in yesterday's primary bodes extremely well for the general election. His honest, independent leadership and integrity brought voters to the polls in record numbers, and it is evident that enthusiasm for Senator Chafee and his record will carry through to November. Chafee's support across Rhode Island -- from both Republicans and independents -- will make it very difficult for Sheldon Whitehouse to gain traction in his bid to unseat Senator Chafee. Look for him in Chafee's rear view mirror...

A few weeks ago I took my pickup around Eastern Montana to talk with Montana families and businesses about my ‘Real Energy, Real Change’ plan.  At a time when energy prices are through the roof and folks have to dig deeper in their pockets to fill their tanks, heat their homes, run their farms and keep their businesses afloat, we need vision and a plan for energy independence in our country.  By taking concrete steps to invest in bio-diesel, ethanol and wind power, along with developing our state’s abundant natural resources cleanly and efficiently, Montana has the potential to play a key role in leading our country to energy security.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently reported that the U.S. Senate’s Interior Spending Bill is only a fraction of the funding needed to implement renewable-fuels standards.  My opponent, Sen. Burns, crafted that bill and calls it a success.  I call that lack of vision and poor leadership, and it’s this kind of poor leadership in Washington that has allowed our country to become more dependent on foreign oil than we were in the 1970s. It’s that lack of leadership that is allowing multinational oil and gas companies to write our energy policy.

We can achieve energy independence, with government that will facilitate and encourage development of alternative and renewable energy.

The fifth anniversary of 9/11 is a time of remembrance and resolve in the war on terror. That’s why yesterday, I was proud to be joined by so many concerned citizens and distinguished 9/11 Commissioner Richard Ben-Veniste. It has been over two years since the bipartisan 9/11 Commission released its 41 commonsense recommendations for preventing another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Shockingly, the current leadership in Washington has failed to fully implement all the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. The government must act now: the status quo failed us before, and we have a moral obligation to not let it happen again. We can no longer afford to have this comprehensive report sit on a shelf and collect dust. It’s far past time to fully implement the recommendations.