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LINCOLN — Deb Fischer ran a stealth campaign. The state senator from Valentine who scored one of the biggest upsets in Nebraska political history Tuesday started to surge in the polls at the perfect time — early enough to win and too late for her opponents to respond. Fischer, who raised a paltry $440,000 to front-runner Jon Bruning’s $3.6 million, is now in position to become the second woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate from Nebraska, if she defeats Democrat Bob Kerrey in the fall. A third was appointed. She took her first poke at Kerrey shortly after taking...

A Palin-backed underdog snatches the GOP Senate nomination from the favorite, and Mama Grizzly's endorsement may very well have put Fischer over the top... The Republican establishment was reeling in Nebraska this week, after a little-known but respected state senator, Deb Fischer, pulled off a stunning upset in the GOP Senate primary. Fischer became the instant favorite in her red state over Democrat Bob Kerrey, a former senator and governor. Until just days before the Tuesday vote, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning was expected to cruise to the GOP nomination, and his only apparent threat was from state Treasurer Don...

Nebraska state Sen. Deb Fischer wrested the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate from Attorney General Jon Bruning Tuesday night, riding a burst of late momentum to pull off an unexpected victory.Her stunning come-from-behind performance amounts to a warning flare about the volatility of the primary season and the unintended impact of outside groups.Fischer, a rancher and little-known state lawmaker, maintained a positive, above-the-fray tone while Bruning and state Treasurer Don Stenberg consistently traded blistering barbs. But she also benefited from a flurry of outside spending against Bruning, the front-running establishment favorite for more than a year who watched his polling...

At the very least, the Republican Party base’s revolt against its own establishment cost the GOP a 50-50 Senate tie in 2010, with primary voters forcing unelectable nominees on the party in three races that it had otherwise been on course to win. A decent case can be made that the uprising actually cost Republicans outright Senate control. And now the same thing may be happening all over again, with Nebraska joining a growing list of unexpected 2012 Senate battlegrounds – at least for the moment. The impetus is the surprise victory of Deb Fischer, a little-known state legislator, over...

A lifelong Nebraskan, Deb Fischer knows about hard work, strong communities, and the Nebraska way of life. Born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, Deb attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with a B.S. in Education. Deb and her husband Bruce have been married for over 39 years and own a ranching business near Valentine. On the ranch, they raised their three sons, all of whom have returned to live and work on the family ranch. The Fischer family has been recognized for their conservation and environmental stewardship, receiving honors from the Nebraska Natural Resources Districts, Nebraska Cattleman and the...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: There was an election in Nebraska, and another establishment Republican went down the tubes. Nebraska State Senator Deb Fischer won the Republican nomination for US Senate in a race against the Attorney General Jon Bruning last night. She rode a burst of late momentum to pull off an unexpected victory. And it really was stunning. I mean it was a major surprising come-from-behind victory, and as it's reported here in The Politico, it "amounts to a warning flare about the volatility of the primary season and the unintended impact of outside groups," like the Tea Party. Deb...

Politics: The victory of the little-known Deb Fischer in Nebraska's Republican Senate primary is a reminder that the Tea Party is alive, well and volatile. And so is the phenomenon named Sarah Palin. Deb who? That was the reaction Tuesday after the state senator and her modestly funded campaign scored a huge upset against the GOP establishment candidate for the U.S. Senate nomination, Attorney General Jon Bruning, and state Treasurer Don Stenberg, on whom the "smart" conservative money was bet. Born and raised in Nebraska, Fischer, 61, and her husband of nearly 40 years run a ranch where they've reared...

OMAHA, Neb. - The Associated Press has projected Deb Fischer as the winner of the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate. Most of the evening, Jon Bruning maintained a lead over Fischer; however, during the 9 p.m. hour, the lead switched in favor of Fischer. Just under 6,000 votes separated the top two candidates when the Associated Press called the race.

Just two weeks ago, the battle for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska was between state Attorney General Jim Bruning and state Treasurer Don Stenburg. Neither inspired the growing base of conservative voters. They were, to be charitable, standard conservative-ish career politicians. Mama Grizzly Sarah Palin shook up the race with a late endorsement of state Senator Debby Fischer. It made all the difference. I follow politics very closely, yet I hadn't heard of the Fischer candidacy until Palin's endorsement. National tea party groups like FreedomWorks had put all their resources behind Stenburg, with nary a...

*snip* As recently as a week ago, Deb Fischer was dismissed by the establishment. Why? Because she is not part of the good old boys’ permanent political class. The message from the people of Nebraska is simple and powerful: America is looking for real change in Washington, and commonsense conservatives like Deb Fischer represent that change. I applaud Moms like Deb Fischer who are bold enough to step up and run on a conservative platform to restore America and protect our children’s future. Congratulations to the people of Nebraska. As the Huskers’ fight song goes: “The eyes of the land,...

On the eve of Nebraska’s GOP Senate primary, We Ask America has Deb Fischer surging into the lead. As you can see from the chart below, that is a remarkable 21 point swing over a period of one week. According to the pollster, it sounds like Fischer has benefited from significant financial support from TD Ameritrade founder, Joe Ricketts. However, something else happened in the past week, which is conveniently omitted from their analysis. As I wrote in this post, Sarah Palin endorsed Fischer last Wednesday. Jon Bruning’s liberal record has been a frequent topic of conversation on Redstate. This...

Deb Fischer has picked up a major endorsement, as former Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin backs the Valentine rancher for U.S. Senate. Fischer said she was honored to be endorsed by the former Alaska governor and her husband Todd Palin. "I greatly admire their willingness to stand on conservative principle and their resolve in standing up to the political establishment," Fischer said. The two-term state senator is running for U.S. Senate and poll numbers released by her campaign show she may be closing the gap with Attorney General Jon Bruning and State Treasurer Don Stenberg. Bruning has picked up big...

Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, have endorsed Deb Fischer, providing the state Senator’s struggling bid to succeed retiring Sen. Ben Nelson (D) an adrenaline shot six days before the GOP primary. Fischer sought the former Alaska governor’s support early in her campaign in “a note,” according to the Fischer campaign press release. Often in the 2010 cycle, candidates were surprised to receive a Palin endorsement. The Palin endorsement proved to be an effective tool for obscure candidates to gain footing in competitive primaries. “I am writing to you as both a fan of your strong, conservative principles and as...

ShePac Endorses five candidates for the upcoming 2012 Senatorial campaign: Linda McMahon (Connecticut) Sarah Steelman (Missouri) Linda Lingle (Hawaii) Heather Wilson (New Mexico) Deb Fischer (Nebraska) http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/04/17/SHE-PAC-2012-Wont-Be-A-War-On-Women-It-Will-Be-A-War-By-Women#disqus_thread

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey has decided against trying to regain his Nebraska seat in the November elections, almost certainly gifting it to Republicans, RealClearPolitics reports. Incumbent Ben Nelson, considered the most conservative Democrat in the upper chamber, is retiring and Kerrey was seen as the Democrats’ last best chance for keeping the seat in the blue column. But after weeks of toying with the idea, Kerrey decided not to run, according to RealClearPolitics. “I have chosen what I believe is best for my family and me,” he said in a statement released Tuesday. Kerrey was running well behind Republicans vying...

Fellow Conservatives: Yesterday, former Democrat U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey reversed his earlier decision and announced that he will in fact run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska. After leaving the Senate in 2001, Kerrey moved to New York City where he even considered running for mayor. Kerrey's decision to move back to Nebraska to run in this Republican state proves one thing: national Democrats have convinced Kerrey that the Republican front-runner, state Attorney General Jon Bruning, is vulnerable. Fortunately, Republicans in Nebraska have an alternative. State Treasurer Don Stenberg is a true conservative with the integrity and record...

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) would start his 2012 reelection race in a weak position if Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning wins the primary, according to a new poll. The survey by Republican firm Magellan Strategies put Nelson 6 points behind Bruning in a general election. But pitted against Don Stenberg, another Republican in the race, Nelson is in a statistical tie. He bests Nebraska state Sen. Deb Fischer (R) by 6 points. Another cause for concern for Nelson, who has not yet announced whether he will seek reelection, is his 36 percent approval rating, which dwarfs the 51 percent who...