With Nebraska’s informal Labor Day campaign kickoff approaching, party resources and priorities are in play.

And they’re already shifting toward the battle for seats in the non-partisan Legislature.

It’s increasingly clear that’s the top priority for Nebraska Democrats.

And with Nebraska’s Republican congressional candidates ahead in the polls and in terms of securing their own financial resources, the GOP feels free to focus more attention on the battle for the Legislature.

The second priority for Nebraska’s Democratic campaign apparatus has become a drive to help Barack Obama win a presidential electoral vote in metropolitan Omaha’s 2nd Congressional District.

Presumably, some adjustments could be made if Jim Esch runs neck and neck with Lee Terry or if Scott Kleeb dramatically cuts into Mike Johanns’ commanding advantage in the polls.

The Democratic emphasis on legislative races is aimed not only at helping shape a policy agenda but also with an eye toward developing candidates for the future.

“It’ll be a good year for us” in legislative contests, says Ian Russell, chief strategist for the party’s coordinated campaign.

Democrats hold 15 seats in the 49-member Legislature and expect to add at least 2 and maybe 5 more.

They’ll be stressing property tax relief and opposition to gas tax increases, trying to tie Republicans to what they describe as a misplaced focus on lower-priority tax cuts that disproportionately help the wealthy as well as approval of a gas tax hike.

Surveying the current political landscape in Nebraska, the GOP believes it’s “in a nice position to put a large focus on legislative races,” says Matt Miltenberger, executive director of the state party.

Republicans ought to fare well in matchups based on differences in political philosophy, he says.

“Obviously, we feel the governor is doing a heck of a job and we’d like to get state senators who share his philosophy,” Miltenberger says.

“It’s not about just what the governor says, but about people who share the same conservative philosophy.”

Gov. Dave Heineman and Attorney General Jon Bruning have dealt themselves into the battle with formation of a political action committee.

Already on the playing field for the Democrats was Omaha state Sen. Tom White and a PAC called Campaign for Nebraska’s Future.

Long ago and far away, the only time the Legislature acted in a strictly partisan manner was when it revised congressional districts after each federal census.

Occasionally, senators would cast more softly partisan votes to assist or damage a governor.

Now, there’s far more partisan activity and division on policy and legislation.

And in mounting substantial  legislative campaigns.

Russell describes the change as equivalent to “going from a glorified county board race to a small congressional race.”

Footnote: State senators elected this November will vote on congressional redistricting in 2011.

On the road

Lotsa luck if the media had hoped to weave Chuck Hagel into the Obama v. McCain drama at the national political conventions.

Hagel will be in Central and South America during both conventions.

NBC News political director Chuck Todd’s guess that Hagel might emerge as keynote speaker at the Democratic convention was fun, but wildly speculative.

Hagel is headed to a number of countries, including Brazil, Colombia and Panama, to discuss trade, national security and drug issues.

The trip includes a briefing at U.S. Southern Command Headquarters in Miami.  

Hagel isn’t the only prominent Nebraska Republican who may not show up at the GOP convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Mike Johanns is considering a brief stop, or none, as he concentrates on his Senate campaign during that first week in September.

Finishing up

* Hagel and Bob Kerrey will team up in Lincoln in October for a policy conversation about “health and financial security for all.”

* Facing the likelihood that Republican minority status in the House will continue and probably deepen next year, Adrian Smith says GOP congressmen still can be effective by helping shape legislation in committee.

* Not to be outdone by speculation about Hagel as a potential bipartisan running mate for Obama, an article on themoderatevoice.com makes the case for John McCain choosing Kerrey.

* Odd, but interesting, poll by Zogby shows shoppers who prefer Target favor Obama over McCain by 53-29 and those who prefer JC Penney pick Obama by 43-40 while McCain wins Walmart by 47-33 and Sears by 46-32.  

* Nebraska’s “local and state tax burden,” as measured by the Tax Foundation last week, is just marginally above the national average.  That’s not the message Nebraskans hear almost daily from elected officeholders, candidates and the Nebraska media, all of whom tell us we are the most over-taxed individuals on earth.

* New UNL campus blog arrived on the scene last week with a big splash.  The Scarlet Project promises to cover campus “news, scandal and gossip.” A clue that its anonymous student author(s) may be a literary fellow or two is an e-mail heralding the blog’s arrival from “Nathaniel Hawthorne,” author of  “The Scarlet Letter.”

* OK, ready, set, go, Yankee surge.

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