Vote For Carol Blood — For A Change
At the present time, the Nebraska gubernatorial campaign has been consumed by a divisive war of words between Jim Pillen and Charles Herbster. Pillen is running an ad in which he cocks his gun and attacks President Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci. Herbster has pledged his fealty to Donald Trump and says he will prioritize the interests of Trump over the people of Nebraska.
Herbster and Pillen have been able to wage this ludicrous war because they are both well funded. Herbster has reported $4.9 million in campaign contributions but $4.7 million of that was his own money. Well informed sources have told me that Herbster will spend $20 million of his own money. Thus far, Pillen has raised a little over $5 million.
The other well funded GOP candidate for governor is State Senator Brett Lindstrom. The disturbing thing about Lindstrom’s funding is that he has received almost all of the $1.6 million he has raised from three BuilderTrend corporate officials. The BuilderTrend executives have contributed $1.2 million out of the $1.6 million that Lindstrom has raised. What do they want out of a potential Lindstrom governorship? It simply doesn’t pass the smell test.
The reality is that none of the GOP candidates have addressed the issues facing Nebraska voters. If you listen to the likes of Pete Ricketts and his allies in the legislature, Nebraska is experiencing a brain drain due to high property taxes. This is an absurd theory since most young people don’t have enough money to buy property. Young people aren’t going to stay in Nebraska if their employers and landlords grab another tax cut.
Young people are leaving Nebraska because the likes of Pillen and Herbster are sending a message that Nebraska isn’t for everyone. Nebraska is losing our best and brightest due to low wages, GOP indifference or even hostility towards the LGBTQ community, outdated marijuana laws, permissive gun laws and a potential abortion ban when the Republicans on the Supreme Court toss out Roe v. Wade later this year.
The only candidate offering any real solutions to our problems is State Senator Carol Blood. At a recent candidate forum, Blood said it best: “If you’re unhappy with how things have been the last few decades, if you’re unhappy with the fact that your property taxes are too high, then I’m going to ask you, Why do you keep voting the same way?”
Carol Blood has won four elections in red leaning Sarpy County. She was elected to the Bellevue City Council in 2008 and 2012. Blood was subsequently elected to the legislature in 2016 and 2020. Blood’s four wins in Sarpy County proves that she can beat the GOP nominee in November.
Blood said she is running because Pillen and Herbster aren’t focusing on the actual issues like soaring property taxes, Nebraska’s overcrowded prisons and state spending on politically connected cronies. “They’re saying ‘Vote for me because I’m going to protect you from these scary things,’” Blood said. “They all were using the ‘us vs. them’ philosophy,” Blood said about the GOP candidates. “They didn’t sound like they wanted to be creative to solve problems. They were just playing from the same game plan — to be divisive.”
The Bellevue State Senator correctly blamed the Republicans for these problems. After all, the GOP has owned the Nebraska state government lock, stock and barrel since 1999. “Now the taxpayers are having to pay the bill for this mismanagement,” she said.
At a recent candidate forum, Blood took aim at Nebraska’s high property taxes. According to the Nebraska Examiner: “Blood said the only meaningful way to offer property tax relief is to address the number of unfunded state mandates on cities, counties and other political subdivisions that tax people’s property. The state, she said, should restore aid to cities and counties. “Until you change that one thing, you will never have true relief,” Blood said.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Electing another Republican will perpetuate the problems of higher taxes, dysfunction in state government and the exodus of young people from our state. The likes of Pillen and Herbster aren’t serious about governing — they want to wage divisive culture wars to pander to the most extreme members of the GOP base.
State Senator Carol Blood has the experience to actually tackle Nebraska’s problems. She is the only candidate talking about genuine issues and solutions. If we are going to elect Carol Blood governor, we have to do more than vote for her. We have to contribute both our time and money to her campaign. We can do this! Let’s get it done!