Kerrey's out; Democrats hope to lure Fahey, Kleeb

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By DON WALTON / Lincoln Journal Star

Bob Kerrey’s decision not to enter Nebraska’s 2008 Senate race sent Democrats scrambling Wednesday to find a competitive candidate.

First stop: Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey.

In the on-deck circle: Scott Kleeb, the party’s 2006 congressional nominee in western and central Nebraska’s 3rd District.

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Bob Kerrey

Bob Kerrey

Statement by Bob Kerrey

I have decided I will not leave The New School to become a candidate for the United States Senate in Nebraska. The reason is simple enough: For my family and me now is not the time for me to re-enter politics as a candidate.



We have made a lot of progress at The New School in the past 7 years increasing our enrollments and the quality of our student body, strengthening our financial condition, expanding and improving our facilities, and increasing the numbers of full-time faculty. And we have great plans for our future. The New School is an exciting and talented community of men and women. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to lead them.



At the same time I nearly said yes to leaving. Again the reason is simple enough: I am deeply troubled about the direction of our country. And the idea of returning home to Nebraska to lead a political campaign based on a promise to do my part to change the direction was very appealing. I love Nebraska and believe in public service. I have not given up on politics or democracy simply because both have been debased in recent years by money, corruption, and personal weakness.



All of us need to resist the temptation of surrendering our interest in the outcome of elections or the work of our Congress. Too much is at stake. For my part I will continue to engage in the public issues of the day and to serve in ways that contribute to the solution of public problems. Some argue that university presidents should avoid public debates and controversy. I believe differently and, fortunately for me, so do the trustees of The New School.



How could we do otherwise when our foreign policies are so terribly off course and our domestic policies are widening income and wealth inequalities, ignoring terrible environmental problems, and pretending that the baby boom generation will somehow not demand the health and retirement benefits that have been promised to them? We cannot remain silent just because the American people are bitterly polarized on such issues as Iraq, terrorism, immigration, affirmative action, abortion, and homosexuality. All the more reason to engage constructively, respectfully, and determinedly.



So, the fact that I will remain as President of The New School does not mean I am retiring from the political debates. Quite the opposite. It simply means that for personal reasons now is not the time for me to re-enter politics as a candidate.

Fahey agreed to “take the next few weeks to think it over,” but he appeared much more likely to seek re-election as mayor in 2009.

Kleeb said he’d “take a look at it,” but cautioned that he faces the same kind of family and job considerations that ultimately kept Kerrey out of the race.

“Given the right circumstances for myself and my family, it’s certainly something I would consider,” said Kleeb, who teaches at Hastings College.

Kerrey’s decision was a huge bummer for Democrats, who believed the former two-term senator had the star power to snatch the Republican Senate seat  now held by Sen. Chuck Hagel.

National Democratic Party resources lay at Kerrey’s command.   Senate leaders had paved the way for him to gain coveted committee assignments.

A national media spotlight already had been reserved for a possible general election showdown between Kerrey and Mike Johanns, who resigned as U.S. secretary of agriculture last month to return to Nebraska to enter the Senate race.

Both Kerrey and Johanns are former governors with national profiles, and a contest between them had been marked in advance as one of the 2008 election’s premier attractions.

Johanns, however, must first survive a stiff challenge from Attorney General Jon Bruning in next May’s GOP primary election.  Also in the race is Schuyler businessman Pat Flynn.

Kerrey made a series of telephone calls to Nebraska to reveal his decision, then released a statement announcing he’ll continue to remain president of New School University in New York City.

“For my family and me, now is not the time (to) re-enter politics as a candidate,” Kerrey said.

Kerrey and his wife, Sarah, have a six-year-old son, Henry, who began kindergarten this year.  Kerrey’s office is on the same block as his home in a Greenwich Village neighborhood and he often walks Henry to the nearby school.

During a phone interview, Kerrey said he made his decision “with regret,” believing he “could have provided an option of moderation and leadership.”

The reason it took him so long to reach a final decision, he said, is “it was very difficult to say no.”

In addition to family considerations, Kerrey said, he has unfinished business to complete at New School, including a major construction project that will consolidate and strengthen a number of the university’s academic programs.

Kerrey’s statement, however, dwelt on the attractions and challenges of a return to the Senate.

“I will continue to engage in the public issues of the day,” he said.

“How could we do otherwise when our foreign policies are so terribly off course and our domestic policies are widening income and wealth inequalities, ignoring terrible environmental problems, and pretending that the baby boom generation will somehow not demand the health and retirement benefits that have been promised to them?”

Returning home to Nebraska to “lead a political campaign based on a promise to do my part to change the direction” of a divided country was very appealing, Kerrey said.

Fahey, who has been encouraged by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to consider a Senate bid, issued a brief statement that seemed to foretell his decision.

“I love my job as mayor,” he said.

“We have a lot of very important issues in front of us, including securing a long-term contract to host the College World Series, addressing the needs of our homeless population as winter sets in, and keeping our citizens and neighborhoods safe.”

Kleeb said he’ll give consideration to a Senate race if Fahey says no.  But, he said, he needs to factor in the best interests of his wife, Jane, and their three-month-old daughter, Maya, in reaching a decision.

“Campaigns do take a tremendous toll on all people involved,” he said in a telephone interview.

“I have no idea right now what I’m going to do,” he said, noting with a laugh that his first order of business was to finish preparing his lecture on World War II for Thursday’s American History class.

If neither Fahey nor Kleeb says yes, Democratic State Chairman Steve Achelpohl said, he believes the party will still “field a good Senate candidate.”

“We would just have to move to the next step,” he said.

Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson said he respects Kerrey’s decision, although he would have liked to see him enter the race and join him in the Senate.

“Bob Kerrey has spent his entire career putting Nebraska and Nebraska families first,” Nelson said.

“This time he has put his family first.”

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.