When we last checked in on Nebraska's 2nd District, Democratic state Sen. Tom White (well, the unicameral is officially nonpartisan, but...) was seriously considering jumping into the race, and said that he'd make a decision sometime this month. Well, it looks like Senator White is giving the green light to a House bid:
State Sen. Tom White of Omaha plans to begin raising money for an expected challenge of U.S. Rep. Lee Terry in a race that's already gaining national attention from Republican and Democratic headquarters.
White said he will create an exploratory committee, the first step before the launch of a full-scale campaign. The exploratory committee allows White to raise cash while wooing supporters.
White, 52, is a civil rights attorney and longtime Democrat who has served three years in the Nebraska Legislature. He plans to make a final decision later this year about running.
He says the time is right for Democrats to reclaim the House seat they lost in the so-called Republican Revolution of 1994. He said the party needs to capitalize on President Barack Obama winning an electoral vote in the 2nd Congressional District.
"The Obama people are still here. The people who were energized by his campaign, the people who filled the convention center (for an Obama visit) are still here, the people who came to the caucuses are still here," said White.
I like White quite a bit for this seat; he's already shown some serious spunk in his early broadsides against Terry for his hypocrisy in voting against the recent war supplemental funding bill, and his time spent in the unicameral neutralizes the "experience" argument that Terry effectively used against Democrat Jim Esch last year.
While this will no doubt be a tough (but fun) race, I assume that White is in this to win -- and that this exploratory phase is merely a formality. (In the diaries, X Strykerhas more.)
