I decided to restart this blog as a place to put some longform thoughts, and really start writing again. I’m going to try something a little bit different with this iteration: for a number of reasons I don’t want to spill a bunch of virtual ink over the political controversies of the moment. I do enough of that on Twitter. Instead, I’m looking to dive into some historical research, particularly as it relates to the Nebraska Legislature. With the possible exception of Ernie Chambers, most of the political figures I will discuss here are no longer in public office. But their stories are relevant and many of the issues discussed are still with us today.
For those of you who don’t know me, I am a Democratic political consultant in Omaha, Nebraska. I have worked for various campaigns including Heath Mello, Bob Krist, Jim Suttle, and Jim Esch, and consulted on a few others. From 2009-2013 I worked for Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle, who survived a tea party-backed recall effort but ultimately lost reelection. In 2016, I graduated from Creighton University School of Law and was admitted to the Nebraska state bar.
As I said, there’s going to be a heavy focus on historical topics here, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have contemporary relevance. Some things to look out for in the future: The history of efforts to ban anti-LGBT discrimination in Nebraska; Civil rights-era legislation; The first unicameral session; The last bicameral session; Key figures in the history of Nebraska politics; and historical elections.