Citizens United Endorses Jon Bruning In 2012 Nebraska Senate Race

The group behind the landmark decision that led to the proliferation of the super PAC endorsed Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning for U.S. Senate Thursday. Bruning is the frontrunner in the Republican primary race to win the seat in the Cornhusker State.

The Citizens United PAC announced that it is donating $10,000 to Bruning's campaign, saying the candidate represents "new blood in the conservative movement," reports Politico.

Bruning's chief primary rival, State Treasurer Don Stenberg, recently picked up an endorsement from conservative "kingmaker" Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). This week DeMint touted a GOP poll showing Stenberg gaining on Bruning, closing the gap to only 5 percentage points.

The Nebraska Senate seat is on Republicans' radar as a crucial one to pick up, particularly since longtime Democratic incumbent Sen. Ben Nelson announced he will not seek re-election. Democrats' strongest potential candidate, former Gov. Bob Kerrey, is still mulling the decision and is expected to announce his decision next week.

The 2008 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission upended campaign finance law by allowing political action committees to accept unlimited donations from undisclosed donors.

10 more election stories from beyond the presidential field:

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Claire McCaskill Senate Challengers Gaining Ground [PoliticMo]

More Democrats Jumping Into Primary Fight For Allen West's Seat [Miami Herald]

Tim Burns Exits Senate Race, Won't Challenge Bob Casey [Politics PA]

Senate Rivals George Allen, Tim Kaine Spar On Energy [Patch]

GOP Poll Finds Don Stenberg Catching Up To Jon Bruning In Nebraska
Senate Primary [Nebraska Watchdog]

Bill Nelson's Big Edge In Florida Senate Race [Florida Today]

Will Cardon Goes After Senate Rival Jeff Flake For Taxpayer-Funded
World Travels [Arizona Daily Star]

Joe Kyrillos Kicks Off Senate Campaign In New Jersey Senate [AP]

What The 2012 Senate Candidates Raised In Q4 [Roll Call]

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Comments

[l78lancer]

10:46 PM on 02/03/2012

"The Citizens United PAC announced that it is donating $10,000 to Bruning's campaign, saying the candidate represents "new blood in the conservative movement," reports Politico.

Bruning's chief primary rival, State Treasurer Don Stenberg, recently picked up an endorsement from conservative "kingmaker" Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). This week DeMint touted a GOP poll showing Stenberg gaining on Bruning, closing the gap to only 5 percentage points."
------------------------------------------------------->

This has all of the makings of a tribal war that will become canibalism. The funny thing is that the main proponents and supporters of the cantidates aren't even from Nebraska. It makes you wonder how the residents of the state feel about that.

[ShinjiIkari]

02:02 PM on 02/03/2012

Now that members of Congress are trying to contain the damage of Citizens United, the NeoCons want to maximize the damage while they still can. There has to be a Constitutional way of putting on the brakes.

[hank101]

12:25 PM on 02/03/2012

New blood in the republican agenda. There is a lot of blood in the republican agenda that needs
spilled.

OBAMA 2012

[mjvoter]

12:24 PM on 02/03/2012

There is a bright side to Citizens United. Republicans are going to find out this year that they just spent a whole lot more money to lose yet another election. There is widespread interest in who is giving the money and where it is going that didn't exist before. Kochs could quietly back Reagan in 1980 but now they are a household name. When the top donors names are published on TV during primetime and blasted all over the internet they can't remain silent any longer. This effort to allow SuperPacs to form and money to be collected and filtered through organizations to protect the identity of the donors has gone belly up. Eventually we will know all of their names and all of their business. Eventually they will be begging for Citizens United to be overturned so they can go back to the way it was when they bought the government privately.

[karlbmiles]

12:22 PM on 02/03/2012

People have forgotten what the Citizens United case was all about.

McCain-Feingold said that independent groups could not broadcast political ads within 30 days of an election.

Michael Moore skirted the law in 2004 by releasing the movie "Fahrenhet 9/11", obviously a Bush-bashing political message. Republicans tried to use McCain-Feingold to block it.


Then Citizens United wanted to air "Hillary: the Movie" in 2008. Democrats tried to use McCain-Feingold to block that one.

Citizens United went to the Supreme Court to rule on McCain-Feingold. In the decision, the Supremes said, "you know, private citizens can do whatever they want, they are not a political organization, so aren't held to the 30-day rule, and they aren't capped in spending like a political party is.

Now the Democrats have spun this by saying "corporations are now people", when it misses the point somewhat. It's about free speech and money to make it, whoever the people/groups are, unless they are a political party. So Michael Moore, make your movies. George Soros, spend your money on the Daily Kos. Union bosses, buy your elections.

People can exercise their freedoms, no matter what party they would like to see elected.

[marind]

12:49 PM on 02/03/2012

NO. Citizens United did NOT go to SCOTUS to rule on McCain-Feingold. The petition for certiorari to the court only presented the limited issue of whether THAT restriction was legally permissible. It was SCOTUS that expanded the issue to Constitutional levels, just as they did with Bush v. Gore. They had ZERO Constitutional authority to do so in either case. These were effectively traitorous acts by the Gangs of Five.

[ShinjiIkari]

02:04 PM on 02/03/2012

Of course; find some way to blame it all on Michael Moore and not on the Karl Rove Playbook.

[lancedaboil]

12:21 PM on 02/03/2012

If people are Corporations, then let's just go with it. All corporations must declare a gender, so when they merge, only a female/male merger is allowed. Sometimes watching two female corporations merging is interesting, but in no way can we allow two male corporations to merge. They have to use the same tax structure people use. If I dump my garbage on my neighbors property I have to clean it up or I can be sued, so the same for corporations. There are more regulations governing people's actions than Corporations'. So let's subject them to more regulation. The corporations might find that it's not easy being a People in a Corporate World.

[hank101]

12:23 PM on 02/03/2012

F/F

[marind]

12:45 PM on 02/03/2012

Like the way you think! F&F!

[Kathy Saunoras]

12:00 PM on 02/03/2012

If this candidate is being sponsered by citizens united, run to the voters booth and vote for the alternative. We already have enough of their crazies in Washington.

[Wonder Woman2]

11:29 AM on 02/03/2012

Of course they do - where else could they find someone with ZERO ethics.

[George Picard]

11:55 AM on 02/03/2012

Well if they looked at the House Senate and whiter house they could find about 536 people that would fit the bill.

[Wonder Woman2]

12:08 PM on 02/03/2012

You don't know bruning.

[RLaitres]

11:28 AM on 02/03/2012

Some of us just love the "new blood" part, in particular from that group that led the Supreme Court into the "Corporations are people" decision (not that they needed much help). So, if they are supporting this candidate because he is "new blood", some of us are convinced that it is contaminated blood, or blood that has been "sitting on the shelf" way past its expiration date.

[Birdman372537]

11:28 AM on 02/03/2012

Regressives who cheered the SCOTUS decision, dreaming of unlimited soft money to attack Democrats, are having their own heads served up to them on a platter in the primaries. I can't think of a better way to spend Republican campaign contributions. Another GOP shot right to the foot.

[lancedaboil]

12:07 PM on 02/03/2012

Wait till the summer. You won't go five minutes without hearing "Obama's an elitist Kenyan Socialist in the pocket of Wall Street". Or some other inanity.

[leftword]

11:21 AM on 02/03/2012

Citizens United supporting a teabagger/Republican? I'm shocked and dismayed! Who'd a-thunk it?

[theostrich]

11:21 AM on 02/03/2012

Out here in RedStateHell we few Democrats only hope is Bob Kerry running again. I will write him in rather than vote for one of the three tea party clones the repubs are running. A endorsement from these guys works like someone signing Grover's pledge-I'll vote for the other guy.

[hetrose]

01:03 PM on 02/03/2012

Hang in there, friend, there is always hope...

[David Hundley]

11:09 AM on 02/03/2012

Citizen's United is just another Kstreet government influence that indignifies the constitution.
The will of the people shall not be denied.

[David Hundley]

11:07 AM on 02/03/2012

Can't Buy Me Love, For all the people when you get tired of politcians lying to you, youtube RonPaulRevolution. This can increase your blood pessure though. Talk about making your blood boil. But, at least he doesn't have to worry what he said, Like Herman Cain. Because, he doesn't lie.....and it is pleasant to your ears.

[leftword]

11:20 AM on 02/03/2012

Hitler didn't lie, either. Honesty may be the best policy, and honest politicians may be refreshing, but policies matter more than words --- and Paul's policies are so far to the right they make Santorum and Perry and the other knuckleheads look like flaming liberals.

[lancedaboil]

12:08 PM on 02/03/2012

bad analogy.

[donincardona]

11:07 AM on 02/03/2012

so now we see why the right wing activist scotus passed this decision. but we the people will overturn this soon.

[George Picard]

11:56 AM on 02/03/2012

Good luck with that one.

[RLaitres]

12:02 PM on 02/03/2012

"We the people" won't overturn anything if we allow a Republican into the Oval office as it is abundantly clear that their real objective is solidify their ideological hold on the Supreme Court. Those who have been paying attention have noted that they have already selected their nominees for positions to that body, all checked for "ideological purity" and declared "qualified", not by the American Bar Association (ABA) but by the Federalist Society, an organization composed primarily of influential corporate attornerys and such so-called "intellectual luminaries" such as Ann Coulter.

[scandaliciousreserve]

01:13 PM on 02/03/2012

yep, Obama having Franklin Raines as an Economic Advisor - is sort of strange:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs

[scandaliciousreserve]

02:03 PM on 02/03/2012

We Love US Senator Jim DeMint.