Raimundo Does The Ol' Switcheroo

I received the following mass email from the Nebraska Democratic Party Chairman Steve Achepohl just a few minutes ago:

Earlier today, Tony Raimondo switched his party registration from Republican to Democrat.

But wait! There's more! I also got an email from the Draft Scott Kleeb people:

In case you haven't seen it yet, today's big news is that Scott Kleeb posted a video on his website laying down a challenge to voters and activists to make this race their own.

Click here to see the video.

While Scott stops short of an announcement, he certainly puts gasoline on the Senate race fire.

That's one way to put it.

Suddenly the Nebraska Democratic senatorial campaign has gone from a "who?" to a two-person race. There's been talk that Tony Raimundo would switch parties for several weeks now -- pretty much since Mike Johanns announced he was running for Senate for the GOP. Everybody else except one fringe candidate has bailed out of the GOP race.

Tony Raimundo has had political asperations for some time, but he's been a staunch conservative. He made a good deal of noise about running for Senate this year but quieted down somewhat when both Jon Bruning and Hal Daub announced their candidacy. (At the time, neither was considered unbeatable, and Bruning already was looking like a liability instead of an asset.) Then former governor and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns stepped in and everyone else bailed.

Meanwhile in the Democraatic camp all we had was a very coy Scott Kleeb. Personally, I think he'll run, but I wish he'd just announce and get on with it. Now it's a whole new proverbial ball game.

Now why would a long time conservative like "industrialist" (as he is referred to in the local media) Tony Raimundo switch parties? That's a no brainer: because at least he can get into the race.

The NDP is trying very hard to make this look like it's not a marriage of convenience:

Let me be one of the first to welcome Tony Raimondo to the Nebraska Democratic Party. He joins a growing list of former Republicans who have decided that the Democratic Party is a better fit for them than the GOP.Historically our Nebraska Democratic Party has welcomed people from varying ends of the political spectrum. Our success has been the result of providing candidates who do not work from the extreme right or left, but who are independent enough to represent each and every Nebraskan. Today, we must be charged with continuing that tradition of independent leadership.

We must continue to welcome anyone who is willing to see that we are the party of inclusiveness. Our doors cannot be closed to the possibilities that these Nebraskans bring to us. Like [former senator Ed] Zorinsky, [Bob] Kerrey, and [Tony] Raimondo - those who switch parties do so to be a part of the conversation and to make our state a better place. In order for our party to thrive, not only should we not discourage Republicans from joining us, we must actively encourage them to do so.

Based on my personal observation of Raimundo both as an "industrialist" and a "civic leader," he's going to be even less of a Democrat than Ben Nelson. He's a "rags to riches" story, building his company, Behlen Manufacturing (among other things, they make grain storage bins) from a small operation to the largest employer in the area of Columbus, Nebraska. He's Hispanic, so he has some appeal to the Latino vote in Nebraska.

But as an aside, Raimundo may be Hispanic but he doesn't often act like it. Back in May of this year, when the Platte County Sheriff (the county where Raimundo's company is located) circulated a very derogatory fax about Hispanics in Nebraska the silence from Raimundo was deafening. But, then, one doesn't see him marching in any Cinco de Mayo parades, either. I don't even know if he's been seen at a Taco Bell. And when it comes down to it, regardless of his ethnicity, he's still an "industrialist." That shows where his real loyalties lie: with business rather than the workers.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, Scott Kleeb is still pitching for support for his non-campaign. He wants to be sure he has the support of as many as he can get before he jumps in. That makes perfect sense. If you look at his latest video you will see a masterful piece of PR that should tug at the heartstrings of every moderate and maybe even a few liberals in the state. (Make sure you watch it all the way through. The ending is worth the price of admission.) More importantly, though, it brings out Scott's charisma, his photogenetics (??) and, of course, the fact that he's a hunk.

Now, let's remember that as of today, neither of these two have officially entered the race. Scott may decide that if he has to fight Raimundo and his money (and he has it), he won't bother. The NDP, of course, must remain neutral during the primary. But the question of the day will be: who has at least a fair chance at beating Mike Johanns?

I have a suggested answer: Scott Kleeb. I don't want to see the Nebraska Democratic Party become a haven for Republicans who come in second or third in their own party's primaries. Raimundo's switching parties could hurt him, especially if he gets the nomination and runs against Johanns. Although Johanns did the same thing in reverse a few years ago, so he is not on really firm ground there. But Raimundo won't be able to get voters and supporters pumped up the way Scott will. He'll be just another businessman trying to get into government to help his own business.

Finally, and again based on my experience working in Platte County for two years, some enterprising journalist might want to dig a little into Behlen Industries' discrimination record, hiring of undocumented workers and a few other indicators of how Tony runs his business. I suspect they'll find a few skeletons in the closet. Let's get him out of the way and let a real Democrat (who, as many have mentioned, is a studmuffin) take on Johanns.