LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Sen. Deb Fischer notched an easy Republican primary victory on Tuesday despite challenges from four GOP candidates who sought to take her seat in deep-red Nebraska.
Fischer will face Democrat Jane Raybould, a Lincoln city councilwoman who defeated three primary opponents. Fischer enters the general election as a heavy favorite to win a second term.
Fischer has focused on her first-term accomplishments, including her work to pass highway funding legislation. She also stressed her Senate experience, such as her position on an Armed Services subcommittee.
The others seeking the GOP nomination were retired Omaha math professor Jack Heidel; writer and retired air conditioning technician Dennis Frank Macek; former finance manager Jeffrey Lynn Stein; and Lincoln businessman Todd Watson.
Some of Fischer’s primary opponents argued she hasn’t been conservative enough, but Fischer received endorsements from a majority of the state’s elected Republican officials as well as major farm and business groups. Before being elected to the Senate, she was a rancher and state legislator.