Nebraska Senate race in a word: Boring

Gov. Dave Heineman's decision not to seek the sure-thing Republican nomination to be Nebraska's next U.S. Senator leaves the race wide open. Read that boring.

Queue up the regulars. You know their names. Jon Bruning, Shane Osborne, Don Stenberg, Pete Ricketts. Read that boring as well.

Maybe Congressman Jeff Fortenberry. Or Midland's University President Ben Sasse in Fremont. Perhaps a little more interesting.

Quick, let's look at the Democrats. You know them, they're the ones still pinching themselves in disbelief that not one, but two (remember the gubernatorial race has but one lone announced Republican candidate) major political seats are wide open. Read that, well, moderately exciting.

But don't overlook the list of the regulars as well: Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop; former University of Nebraska Regent Chuck Hassebrook; Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler. Hey, former Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle's available now.

What this state, and these particular races, needs are some new faces. They're bound to be out there. Some fresh new perspectives, new ideas, new energy. And that goes for both parties. Heck, where's Rick Sheehy now that we need him? The entrance of the guy who admitted to unsportsmanlike conduct with a state-issued cell phone would at least offer some interesting press.

But why, you ask, would Heineman turn down a done deal? In a letter to supporters, he wrote that a race for the U.S. Senate would distract from the State's priorities of tax relief, job creation and education.

Dave Heineman loves being governor. U.S. Senator Mike Johanns and others confirm that. In fact, when Johanns left the governor's office to become a senator, he opened the door for Lt. Gov. Heineman to serve out two years as governor before being elected twice. That gives Heineman the record as the state's longest-serving governor. Ten years. Governors are term-limited at two four-year terms.

The late Frank Morrison holds the record as being elected governor the most times. He won the spot three times when terms were only two years. Both Heineman and Morrison will be recognized as asterisks in the Nebraska Blue Book. (The Blue Book is Nebraska's official reference manual, with information about the state's government, geography, economy, history and culture.)

Both men wanted more. Perhaps Morrison will be remembered for The Great Platte River Road Archway near Kearney. Heineman is still jockeying for that memorable monument, but it could be tax reform, job creation or education. He has a year to make that mark.