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Ben Nelson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ben Nelson | |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2001 Serving with Chuck Hagel |
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| Preceded by | J. Robert Kerrey |
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40th Governor of Nebraska
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| In office January 9, 1991 – January 7, 1999 |
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| Lieutenant(s) | Maxine B. Moul (1991-1993) Kim M. Robak (1993-1999) |
| Preceded by | Kay A. Orr |
| Succeeded by | Mike Johanns |
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| Born | May 17, 1941 McCook, Nebraska |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Diane Nelson |
| Alma mater | University of Nebraska-Lincoln |
| Religion | Methodist |
Earl Benjamin "Ben" Nelson (born May 17, 1941) is the junior U.S. Senator from Nebraska, where he was born and has lived for most of his life. Nelson is a Methodist. A Democrat, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000, and is now the leading conservative Democrat in the Senate. An April 2006 poll by Survey USA found him to be the most popular senator in the country, with a 73% approval rating from his constituents.[1] In their most recent poll, his approval rating was 68%.[2]
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Nelson was born in McCook, a rural southwestern town in Nebraska to Birdella Ruby Henderson and Benjamin Earl Nelson.[3] He earned a BA in 1963, a MA in 1965, a JD in 1970 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was an attorney and insurance executive, winning his first elected office in 1990.
Nelson was elected governor in the state's fourth-closest gubernatorial race in history (himself only winning the Democratic nomination by 42 votes) in 1990, and was easily re-elected in 1994. During his first race for governor, he ran against Kay A. Orr, the first elected Republican woman in Nebraska.
During the 1999 campaign, Nelson attacked her support for a proposed low-level nuclear waste dump in the state. During his tenure, the Nebraska State Department of Environmental Quality denied the dump's application for an operating license, prompting a law-suit that Nebraska settled for $145 million.
During his tenure in office, Nelson oversaw the only three executions in the state of Nebraska since the lifting of the moratorium in 1973. Nebraska Governor has no exclusive power to commute the death sentence and just sits in Board of Clemency.
Nelson ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1996 when fellow Democrat Jim Exon retired. He was soundly defeated by Republican businessman and Vietnam veteran Chuck Hagel in one of the noteworthy political upsets of 1996. Nelson left the governor's office in January 1999 after two terms (he was ineligible to run again because of term limits); he was succeeded by Republican Mike Johanns. When he left office, the state had a General Fund surplus balance of almost $300 million and a rainy day fund of $145 million. Nelson cut the sales tax and income tax and cut $157 million in spending. He also was able to passed 8 balanced budgets without resorting to special sessions[citation needed].
Nelson was again nominated by the Democrats for the Senate in 2000 after his fellow Democrat, incumbent Bob Kerrey, announced his retirement. Nelson won that election with 50.99% of the vote after a campaign in which he spent 50% more ($1,004,985) than his opponent. Despite initially pledging to work together,[4] Nelson and Hagel have a somewhat frosty relationship.[5]
In November 2004, it was widely rumored that President Bush would choose Nelson as his agriculture secretary in the cabinet. In the end, the position went to Nelson's gubernatorial successor, Mike Johanns.
On May 23, 2005, Nelson was one of 14 Senators to forge a compromise on the Democrats' use of the judicial filibuster, thus blocking the Republican leadership's attempt to implement the so-called "nuclear option". Under the agreement, Democrats would retain the power to filibuster one of President Bush's judicial nominees only in an "extraordinary circumstance", and the three most conservative Bush appellate court nominees (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor) would receive a vote by the full Senate. Subsequently, he was the only Democrat to vote in favor of Brown; he was later the first Democratic senator to support Samuel Alito's confirmation to the USSC. Nelson also has voted twice, with three other Democrats, to end Senate debate over President Bush's UN Ambassador nominee John Bolton.
President Bush has nicknamed Nelson "The Benator." Originally, Bush nicknamed him "Nellie," but Nelson jokingly complained that he would prefer a "tougher" nickname.[citation needed]
Nelson is one of few Democrats in the Senate with a pro-life voting record. Nelson is a member of the Democrats for Life of America, a national organization for pro-life members of the Democratic party that advocates a 95% reduction in the number of abortions performed over the next 10 years. In the 2006 election, Nelson was endorsed by Nebraska Right to Life[6] and Nebraskans United for Life[7] — the two largest pro-life organizations in the state.
In July 2007, fellow Senator Tom Coburn criticized pork barrel spending Nelson had inserted into the 2007 defense spending bill. Coburn alleged that the earmarks would benefit Nelson's son Patrick's employer with millions in federal dollars and that the situation violated terms of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, which was passed by the Senate but has not yet been voted on in the House. Nelson's spokesperson said the Senator did nothing wrong.[8]
Nelson's votes in the Senate have often placed him at odds with the leadership of his party. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has said that Nelson is probably the most conservative Democrat in the Senate. This perception is supported by a National Journal congressional vote rating from 2006, which placed Nelson to the right of five Senate Republicans (Gordon Smith, Olympia Snowe, Arlen Specter, Susan Collins, and Lincoln Chafee). Mary Landrieu was the only other Democrat to place to the right of any Republicans (she placed to the right of Chafee). [6] A similar 2007 National Journal congressional vote rating went even further, placing him to the right of eight Senate Republicans (the above five as well as Richard Lugar, Norm Coleman, and Mike DeWine), with Landrieu once again placing to the right of Chafee and being the only other Democrat to place to the right of any Republicans.[9]
Nelson was one of only two Democratic senators to vote against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. Nelson supports eliminating the estate tax and voted in favor of both the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003. Nelson is strongly opposed to replacing the income tax with a national sales tax, a position that finds favor with increasingly many conservatives. He has voted with Republicans on matters of bankruptcy reform, environmental protection, lawsuit reform, and trade. In 2004 he was one of only three Democratic senators to vote to invoke cloture on the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment; in 2006 he was one of only two Democratic Senators to vote that way.[10] He was the only Democratic senator to vote against a 2006 bill that would have extended federal funding for Stem Cell Research. He has, however, voted consistently against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He has also opposed President Bush's plan to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq. [7]. Early in Bush's first term he voted with the majority of his party against scrapping President Clinton's expansive new rules on ergonomics regulation for workers; many of his fellow conservative Democrats like John Breaux, Max Baucus, Blanche Lincoln, and Zell Miller voted with Republicans on the issue.
On March 15, 2007, Nelson was one of two Democratic Senators to vote against invoking cloture on a resolution aimed at withdrawing most American combat troops from Iraq in 2008. The vote, requiring 60 votes to pass, was 50 to 48 against.[11]
On July 12, 2007, Nelson broke with his party in a vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee, restoring funding to Vice President Dick Cheney's office.
Nelson won his 2006 re-election campaign by a margin of 28 percentage points [8]. The primary election was held on May 9, 2006. Former TD Ameritrade executive Pete Ricketts won the Republican nomination with 48% of the vote. Nelson was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
In the general election, Nelson was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, Nebraska Right to Life [9], Nebraskans United for Life [10], the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Businesses [11], Nebraska Farmers Union PAC, National Farmers Union PAC, the Veterans of Foreign Wars PAC, the Business-Industry Political Action Committee, and the Omaha Police Union, all of which are conservative-leaning groups.
Nelson easily defeated Ricketts 64-36%; in doing so, he received the votes of 42% of Republicans and 73% of Independents on top of holding serve with 96% of his own party, and won all but several of the westernmost counties in the state, a surprising feat given the state's Republican partisanship. [12] [13]
- 1996 Nebraska United States Senatorial Election
- Chuck Hagel (R), 56%
- Ben Nelson (D), 42%
| Nebraska U.S. Senate Election 2000 | |||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Ben Nelson | 330,366 | 51.0 | ||
| Republican | Don Stenberg | 318,368 | 46.1 | ||
| Nebraska U.S. Senate Election 2006 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Ben Nelson (Incumbent) | 377,907 | 63.9 | +12.9 | |
| Republican | Pete Ricketts | 213,054 | 36.1 | ||
- ^ http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/060420100USSenatorApproval.htm
- ^ http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/Net100USSenatorApproval061122.htm
- ^ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/senators/nelsonben.htm
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/news/vote2000/ne/main.htm
- ^ http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=2266334
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Brendan Dougherty, Michael (2007-07-24). Omaha Company's Windfall, Hiring of Lawmaker's Son Irks Senator. Fox News. Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4] [5]
- ^ Toner, Robin (March 15, 2007). Senate Rejects Measure for Iraq Pullout. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
- United States Senator Ben Nelson, U.S. Senate site
- Ben Nelson's biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Ben Nelson's voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Ben Nelson's campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Ben Nelson's campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Ben Nelson's biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Ben Nelson's issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Kay A. Orr |
Governor of Nebraska 1991 – 1999 |
Succeeded by Mike Johanns |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Bob Kerrey |
United States Senator (Class 1) from Nebraska 2001 – present Served alongside: Chuck Hagel |
Incumbent |
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| Butler • James • Furnas • Garber • Nance • Dawes • Thayer • Boyd • Crounse • Holcomb • Poynter • Dietrich • Savage • Mickey • Sheldon • Shallenberger • Aldrich • Morehead • Neville • McKelvie • Bryan • McMullen • Weaver • Bryan • Cochran • Griswold • Peterson • Crosby • Anderson • Brooks • Burney • Morrison • Tiemann • Exon • Thone • Kerrey • Orr • Nelson • Johanns • Heineman |
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| Class 1: Tipton • Paddock • Van Wyck • Paddock • Allen • Hayward • Allen • Dietrich • Burkett • G. Hitchcock • Howell • Thompson • Hunter • Burke • Butler • Reynolds • Hruska • Zorinsky • Karnes • Kerrey • Nelson Class 2: Thayer • P. Hitchcock • Saunders • Manderson • Thurston • Millard • Brown • Norris • Wherry • Seaton • Griswold • Bowring • Abel • Curtis • Exon • Hagel |
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| Senators | Chuck Hagel (R), Ben Nelson (D) |
| Representative(s) | Jeff Fortenberry (R), Lee Terry (R), Adrian Smith (R) |
| All delegations | Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands |
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | Articles with unsourced statements since July 2007 | United States Senators from Nebraska | Governors of Nebraska | Nebraska lawyers | University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumni | American Methodists | American adoptive parents | 1941 births | Living people | State cabinet secretaries of the United States | Nebraska Democrats