As an effort to move the focus a little bit outside the immigration, sequestration, confirmation hearings, and grand bargaineering bubble, I'm going to start identifying profiles of incoming congressmen and featuring them in this space.
Because I'm totally unbiased, let's start with Deb Fischer of Nebraska, who defeated Bob Kerrey to win the seat vacated by Ben Nelson. (Who totally didn't retire because of his vote for ObamaCare).
Fischer's candidacy in the GOP primary seemed like a fool's errand, so much so that legendary Nebraska political scientist John Hibbing had this to say about her campaign:
"My professional opinion is, 'No, she doesn't have a chance,' " said University of Nebraska-Lincoln political science professor John Hibbing. "It adds up to a very tough challenge for Deb Fischer. Stranger things have happened, but right now, I wouldn't bet the family farm."
(Fortunately, the professor didn't bet the farm.)
Fischer managed to prevail in a crowded GOP primary before defeating Kerrey in what turned into a nasty race.
I'll let National Review's Betsy Woodruff take it away with a passage on why Fischer feels an affiliation with other prairie state senators:
As for the diversity she brings to the Republican caucus, her background is in her view much more important than her gender: She’s from a sparsely populated part of a rural state, and she’s a rancher, which should distinguish her from her peers in the Congress far more than the fact that she’s a woman. She feels a special kinship to other senators from rural states, especially John Thune (R., S.D.) and John Barrasso (R., Wyo.). “A lot of it’s personality — it’s just who we are,” she says. “We’re kind of blunt. We share a lot of the same history. We understand vastness.”
(Emphasis mine, and amen to the sentiment.)
P.S. If there's someone you'd like featured (or even a Governor or someone not in DC politics), let us know. Politics is about far more than the Beltway, so we're always interested.
