Senate Showdown: Scott Kleeb vs. Mike Johanns

(Editors Note: Rather than cover Nebraska politics as I originally intended, Giles Road will now focus exclusively on the Senate race.)

The primary is over and the battle lines have been drawn.

Despite being outspent two to one, Scott Kleeb overwhelmed Tony Raimondo by a whooping 44% in Tuesday's Democratic primary. Kleeb extended his grasp statewide winning by huge margins in Omaha, Lincoln, and Western Nebraska.

With class, Raimondo quickly conceded the election and endorsed his rival. It is unclear if Raimondo will campaign for Kleeb, but he did attend the Douglas County Democratic Party's Unity event the following day. I commend Raimondo for a relatively clean campaign and hope he can find his home in the Democratic Party.

Kleeb took it into third gear as he gave his victory speech saying: "Tonight’s victory was about community. Politics at its finest asks each of us to involve ourselves for our own reasons. Nebraska actually won tonight.”

Parts of his speech were a little over the top but the crowd seemed fired up and ready to go. You can see his speech here courtesy of the Lincoln Journal Star.

Across the aisle, Mike Johanns won a largely uncontested primary against Pat Flynn, a candidate he outspent nearly ten to one.

Accompanied by his life partner, Johanns continued his deceptive media campaign to frame himself as the change candidate saying: "If you believe we need to fix Washington, come join our campaign." It is clear Johanns is willing to do anything or say anything to get elected -- he is a typical career politician who is interested in what is best for Mike Johanns, not the people of Nebraska.

The most interesting exchange of the night was Johanns alarming reaction to Kleeb's victory. He wasted no time attacking Kleeb on healthcare, tax cuts, and his commitment to our military. Kleeb responded quickly saying: "It’s not unremarkable to hear the same kind of campaign from someone who’s been involved for 20 years."

It is highly usual for a heavy favorite like Johanns to go on the offensive so early against an unknown like Scott Kleeb.

He clearly knows something we don't know, and it isn't good.

(...at least for him.)