First Ad Up In Nebraska Senate Primary

Former Omaha mayor Hal Daub is the first candidate up with an advertisement in a highly-contested GOP primary to replace retiring Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.).

Daub, who served four terms in Congress during the 1980s, is presenting an anti-Washington message with the advertisement. He spent about $30,000 for the spot, which is airing statewide.

“Everyone agrees on one thing: Washington, DC is broken. It’s time for change,” Daub says in the ad. “I know something about change and how to get things done. I fought for change in Congress and I brought real change to Omaha.”

Daub is facing Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and state Attorney General Jon Bruning in the primary. Johanns is viewed by some Republicans as the favored candidate, which prompted Daub to criticize the “heavy-handed, insider mentality" of Washington insiders.

On the Democratic side, all eyes are on former Senator Bob Kerrey, whose entry in the race would make the Senate race one of the cycle's marquee matchups.