GOP Sen. Johanns of Nebraska to retire

[Redfairen]

Source: USA Today

GOP Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska will not seek re-election next year, telling his supporters in an e-mail that the time is right after decades in public service.

"With everything in life there is a time and season," said Johanns, a former U.S. Agriculture secretary and governor.

Johanns was first elected to the Senate in 2008. He recently bucked his party by saying he will vote to confirm fellow Nebraskan Chuck Hagel for Defense secretary -- only the second GOP senator to support the embattled Obama nominee.

Democrats are likely to take a run at Nebraska next year, in part because of the need to expand the playing field. Democrats will defend 21 Senate seats in 2014, compared with 14 for Republicans.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/02/18/mike-johanns-senate-retire-nebraska/1927903/

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Seems like every year we defend more seats than Republicans

[Kolesar]

3. We control more seats.

That's a good thing.

[House of Roberts]

4. Let's keep it that way!

It would mean we maintain the majority.

[iandhr]

7. It will be the opposite in 2016

They will have 23 states to defend we will have 10.

Many of those are in blue states.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. Is this blowback from XL?

Lot's of pissed off country hicks in Western Nebraska. Or is this stiff going to be a Over Paid Lobbyist for Monsanto?

[onehandle]

5. 21 seats for us, 14 for them? I thought this was a dangerous year.

If not for the pro-rape party showing their pro-rapeyness, the GOP would have the Senate.

Which seats are up next year?

[iandhr]

9. Here you are

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_elections,_2014

Many of our seats are in red states.


But in 2016 it will be 23 for the GOP to defend to 10 for us.

[onehandle]

14. Louisiana, Arkansas, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Virginia make me very concerned.

Ugh.

Damn regional party.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Here is a list

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/04/1167169/-Democrats-Favored-to-Retain-Senate-in-2014

Seems google is littered with nothing but RW sites unfortunately.

[TwilightGardener]

6. Johanns does not have it in him to be a teabagger. He can't play along well

with that game--and he doesn't want to be primaried. The rational Republicans (and he used to be somewhat rational in his governor days, though I didn't care much for him) are a dying breed--especially in plains states like Nebraska. It's becoming Kansas and Oklahoma.

[iandhr]

8. So you mean that there were conservatives...

... that you would disagree with but weren't crazy?

[TwilightGardener]

11. Sure. I never considered Johanns crazy, but when he got into the Senate, he

went along with most GOP shenanigans and starting acting a little obstructionist (recently he demanded the resignation of Obama's recess appointments after the court ruling against them, for example)--in the end, though, I don't think he has the heart and the will for that sort of thing. He was a Governor when Nebraska was a little less red, and he does believe in governance, which the Teabaggers are completely opposed to.

[iandhr]

12. Thats the problem with the internet.

You can't tell when someone is joking.


I was commenting on the fact to be an elected Republican today you have to be crazy and it wasn't always the case.

[EC]

13. Makes me wonder what his

e mail looked like after he came out to support Hagel?

[Tx4obama]

15. Kick n/t

[rachel1]

16. Another easy seat for the Democrats to win! The repukes will be destroyed again.