NE-GOV: Bob Krist running as a Democrat

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Omaha World Heard front page article this morning:

http://www.omaha.com/news/politics/bob-krist-s-independent-bid-for-nebraska-governor-has-democrats/article_550c7a92-77ad-58a8-b34a-a671323052b5.html

Interesting that although Jane Kleeb references allegedly making efforts to recruit some unnamed 'strong' candidates for governor, not one is mentioned.  I tend to doubt they will get anyone with the name recognition to do this.

Maybe some sort of fusion with no Dem ticket for governor/Lt Governor and a moderate Democrat at Krist's running mate. I could get behind that.

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Well the plan to have a clean race between Ricketts and an independent came unraveled today.

I dont have a link to it but some college professor took out papers to file as a democrat for Governor. Not sure if he was recruited by the state party or if he just thought it'd be a fun thing to do. In either case this idiot will attract sufficient votes to ensure Ricketts wins a plurality.

Wonder if the GOP put him up to it?

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Link to the website of the new entry in the race:

http://tylerdavisforgovernor.com/

This is a well done, professional site. Davis obviously has some serious backing. He also looks to have a resume as thin as cardboard. If he gets on the ballot for the Primary he could probably win the nomination, then siphon off perhaps fifty thousand votes from Krist in the General. Maybe I'm paranoid but something about this smells funny.

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Here is an article running today in the Omaha World Herald:

http://www.omaha.com/news/politics/after-brief-dispute-with-vanessa-ward-campaign-jane-kleeb-says/article_4c8a2150-f7e5-11e7-89ec-0b5ce4a79e4e.html#comments

IMO, this is a real mess. Neither declared candidate for the Dems is remotely electable and either will only serve to help split the vote and re-elect Ricketts. I have to wonder what sort of Game Kleeb is playing?

Vanessa Ward does not appear to have a campaign web site, just a Facebook page with lots of religious stuff. She's a real winner.

I know little about the principals in this whole thing but I wonder if this isn't the work of the 'pure' Progressive wing of the party who doesn't want to compromise with a Krist candidacy? 

For God's sake, Nebraska Dems. Cut it out. But some of them won't. Ricketts will walk back in.

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It occurs to me that NE Dems may fear loss of ballot position under state election law if they fail to field a candidate. So they are putting one up but making sure it is someone who won't (hopefully) draw enough votes to be a factor. Seems an odd strategy.

I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but putting  up an African American, inner city preacher woman seems like electoral suicide in Nebraska. They can't be serious. But hey, it's the Nebraska Democrats, after all.

Krist was indeed offered the Dem nomination on a silver platter. He just couldn't bring himself to run as a Democrat because of his strong 'Pro Life' convictions. (!) We've had many pro life Democrats win elective officei n NE. Ben Nelson comes to mind.  I think he could be competitive but needs to get real.  he's not impressing so far.

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Nothing at all on the Politics1 site today about this alleged meeting. Nothing in local print or other media.

Unless someone can post a link to something more substantial,  I'm not getting excited yet.

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Thanks for the link. I could have predicted Ward's implosion; she is very poorly placed demographically and politically. She'd be OK for another state office or for Legislature but is out of her league in this race.

I have to wonder if her running wasn't a way of flushing out Krist to change his mind and run as a Dem? I agree with the idea that it may be sinking in for him, he needs to drop the third party and Independent stuff and run as a Dem.  He should be able to do this in Nebraska without feeling he sold his soul. There are lots of other issues besides abortion in NE. Whatever he decides, he needs to get moving. I think the deadline is coming up shortly for ballot access in the Primary.

The activist wing of the Democrats here will raise Cain about Nominating Krist and will coalesce around someone from their rank for the primary. That's their right, but a lot of us here are tired of twenty years of GOP governance. 

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Two stories in the World Herald today; one recounts the wide lead in fundraising by Ricketts. The other all the difficulties Krist is having mounting his independent bid.  There seems to be some question as to whether he will even make it onto the ballot.Nothing about him changing his mind and going with the Dems, I am starting to fear he may be too 'principled' to do that.

Great. While this guy dithers, time is slipping by.

Link:   http://www.omaha.com/news/politics/gubernatorial-hopeful-bob-krist-challenges-law-requiring-signatures-to-appear/article_26d2b747-1ecc-5ba6-812e-ef85b86119b1.html

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Geez. But I think running as a Democrat would put him at a severe disadvantage than as an independent, as sad as that (partisanship) is.

If he wanted to go back to the third-party thing, could he?

If he ran as an Independent, he'd inevitably lose some support to straight-ticket Democrat voters. If Krist is successful in running as an Independent, one of the two nobodies currently running for the Dem nomination will win and they would receive votes in November. If Krist takes the Dem nomination, he'd win the straight-ticket votes along with those he'd receive anyway. He won't win, but he'd kill two birds with one stone and will do better than he would as an Independent in a three-way race.

I THINK he could still run as a third party candidate, but I'm not sure that would help him at all, especially with his already anemic fundraising and the fact that he'd have to mudwrestle whatever Dem nominee makes the ballot for scraps. It would look bad because the Republican (Ricketts) and the Dem nominee would be settled by mid-May, while Krist would have to try and establish his party by the August deadline and then proclaim himself their nominee (in addition to creating laws and bylines and party officers for his party) by the September deadline: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_parties_in_Nebraska And, even then, there's no guarantee that the Secretary of State would issue a certification for the party (which can take nearly a month).

You'd have to live here to realize how rigged this whole thing is. NE is a one party state and the election machinery is set up to perpetuate that. I think if Krist presents his petitions with well over the required signatures they will find a way to deny him.

I am getting a sick feeling bout this. We may wind up with just Ricketts and a no name and this could pull down turnout, affecting the Congressional and senate races.

I have thought for some tine that the DNC needs to clean house in their party here i NE. This is ridiculous.

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Ricketts is a special kind of partisan. a real stupid one:

http://www.omaha.com/columnists/plus/hansen-ricketts-grants-then-revokes-nebraska-navy-honors-for-unl/article_06aa4af7-188a-529b-abd5-47b29fe59866.html

The Nebraska Navy is one of those silly fun things. For decades it has been a non partisan deal until this Governor came along, that is. I have seen some silly things happen in NE; having  Governor who actually rescinds membership in a fake Navy and then sends a letter on his letterhead demanding return of the certificate?

This one is gonna be down and dirty.

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In other Nebraska news, Vanessa Ward is using her campaign social media to sell her book. It's pretty clear why she's running, and it's not to win the nomination.

She also has bad baggage from her opposition to an open housing ordnance in Omaha that would have outlawed discrimination against LGBT people. Many Black churches in Omaha sent busloads of members down to city hall to speak against it. Put into context its just flabbergasting.

But, that's another thread, not on here..

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Meanwhile, Tyler Davis, the formerly unknown college professor is filing legal challenges to Krist's candidacy.

http://www.omaha.com/news/politics/democrat-tyler-davis-challenges-fellow-gubernatorial-candidate-bob-krist-s/article_a4707595-5e38-5f9a-8598-8a905fdf68a8.html

I swear this guy is a GOP stooge.

Update, I don't think he's in cahoots with the GOP. He is a 'true believer' Bernie Bro. I spent some time today on line arguing with a few of his supporters, they are mostly young college kids. They remind me of the Ralph Nader bunch back in 2000. Very ideological with no practical grasp of political reality. I have to think the NE Dems checked out all the legality of this and doubt his lawsuit has a chance.

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Meanwhile, Tyler Davis, the formerly unknown college professor is filing legal challenges to Krist's candidacy.

http://www.omaha.com/news/politics/democrat-tyler-davis-challenges-fellow-gubernatorial-candidate-bob-krist-s/article_a4707595-5e38-5f9a-8598-8a905fdf68a8.html

I swear this guy is a GOP stooge.

Update, I don't think he's in cahoots with the GOP. He is a 'true believer' Bernie Bro. I spent some time today on line arguing with a few of his supporters, they are mostly young college kids. They remind me of the Ralph Nader bunch back in 2000. Very ideological with no practical grasp of political reality. I have to think the NE Dems checked out all the legality of this and doubt his lawsuit has a chance.

I actually do think he's in cahoots with the GOP lol okay, I'm not completely serious about that, but Davis has gone back-and-forth between being a Republican and Nonpartisan since first registering in 2005 (he was Republican 2005-2008;Nonpartisan 2008-2010;Republican 2010-2017;Democrat 2017-). I think he's more of a sh*t-stirrer, tbh. I think he got involved in the Dem gubernatorial primary when Kleeb was struggling finding someone and Vanessa Ward made her publicly state she wouldn't run herself. And now that Krist has finally joined, Davis is just stirring the pot some more. He may be appealing to Bernie fans (if Davis supporters are even serious and not just trolls), but I don't think Davis himself holds those beliefs (based on how he's talked since joining and based on how he voted and donated in the past) and is just causing problems. I also don't think he's completely forthcoming with his campaign funds. For someone who is just a supposedly unconnected college instructor (not even a professor), he came out immediately with a professional website and campaign materials. I'm not a conspiracy theorist (I swear lol), but I do think he is trying to cause as many problems as possible and may have some help. Vanessa Ward is, unintentionally, causing problems, too, but hers seems to be based on trying to get fame and attention.

His vocal supporters seem to be mostly young college aged people. At least that is how things appear. I took time to click on the links to the FB pages of those who were hammering me and, a couple of them look sort of hinky. I sort of doubt Russian Bots are trying to rig a Dem primary in NE, but who knows? They came across as typical potty mouthed Bernie Bros; no awareness of political realities

I hope Kleeb has a killer attorney on this deal. Davis is out to make trouble and they need to stop him.