Ben Nelson

Senior U.S. Senator Representing Nebraska

Senator Ben Nelson, chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on The Legislative Branch, recently made news when he, along with Senator John Hoeven, crafted legislation to cut Congress’s budget by 5.2 percent ($200 million).  The legislation has sparked protest from a bipartisan group of senators who believe the nearly $42 million in savings that would come from the Government Accountability Office’s budget would hurt the ability of an agency critical to congressional oversight of federal spending.  Formerly a two-term Nebraska governor, who positions himself squarely in the ideological center in Senate, Senator Ben Nelson is our Member of the Week.

Born in McCook, Nebraska in 1941, Ben Nelson was the only child of Benjamin and Birdella Nelson.  Though he was from a relatively small town in southwestern Nebraska, Nelson never considered his living situation a handicap to his aspirations.  He was a bright, active student in high school, even dabbling in politics; he was elected governor of Nebraska’s model legislature, a statewide event for teens called the Hi-Y.  Following high school, Nelson enrolled at the University of Nebraska, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1963, an M.A. in philosophy in 1965, and a J.D. in 1970.

Nelson initially made his name and money in the insurance industry.  He worked as an assistant general counsel for Central National Group Insurance from 1972 to 1974; he then stepped away for two years to serve as Nebraska Governor James Exon’s state insurance director.  In 1977, Nelson returned to Central Insurance as an executive vice president and eventually became president.

In 1980, while still at Central Insurance, Nelson served as chairman of President Jimmy Carter’s reelection campaign in Nebraska.  A year later, in 1981, Nelson Central Insurance, taking a series of lucrative consulting jobs, and serving as executive vice president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.  Before running for the Nebraska governorship in 1990, he worked for the Omaha law firm, Kennedy, Holland, DeLacy, and Svoboda.

Nelson was elected governor in the state’s fourth-closest gubernatorial race in Nebraska history.  In the Democratic primary, Nelson was deadlocked to with Bill Hoppner, an ex-staffer to former Nebraska Governor Bob Kerrey.  After a seven-week recount, Nelson was certified as the winner by just 42 votes.  His opponent in the general election was Kay Orr, the incumbent governor and the first Republican woman to be elected Governor in United States history.  As was the case in the primary against Hoppner, Nelson barely squeaked out a victory, winning the election by only 4,030 votes.  Ironically, he was reelected in 1994 with 74% of the vote – the largest margin of victory for a governor in half a century.

During his tenure, Nelson cut spending by 64% and introduced legislation that cut crime through the Safe Streets Acts and Juvenile Crime Bill.  He also advocated for low-income families through the Kids Connection health care system, and enacted welfare reforms.  Over the course of his two terms, Nebraska enjoyed strong economic growth and relatively low unemployment.

Though he eventually would make it into Senate, Nelson’s first attempt in 1996 was a disaster.  When then-Senator Jim Exon announced his retirement from Congress, Nelson, the obvious choice for the Democratic nomination, was declared the odds-on favorite to win the seat.  Unfortunately for Nelson, his competitor, Republican Chuck Hagel, stepped into the role of political underdog with relative ease.  The campaign was defined by continued mudslinging in which both men accused one another of being dishonest and cheats.  Ultimately, Hagel trounced Nelson, winning the Senate seat with 56 percent of the vote.

Despite losing in dramatic fashion to Hagel, the Democrats once again nominated Nelson for the Senate in the 2000 election after his fellow Democrat, incumbent Bob Kerrey, announced his retirement.  After a campaign, in which he spent 50 percent more than his opponent, Nelson won the seat with 51 percent of the vote.

In the Senate, Nelson has garnered a reputation as the most conservative Senate democrat.  He is opposed to most abortion rights and voted against expanding federal funding for stem-cell research in 2006.  On the other hand, he helped secure passage of the President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus bill in early 2009.  Most recently, the American Conservative Union rated his overall performance for 2010 at 48 percent, the highest given to any Democratic senator.

A forthcoming Democrat, Ben Nelson is the epitome of a centrist Democrat.  His cost cutting tactics targeting the GAO smell of Republican tactics.  Notwithstanding, Senator Nelson understands fully well that his power lies in the increasingly conservative state of Nebraska.  His actions on Capitol Hill are then not so much surprising, as they are survivalist in nature.

–Amendment202

Did you like our profile on Senator Ben Nelson, check out other members of the week.