Scott Kleeb appeared poised Wednesday to jump into the 2008 Senate race.

Kleeb, the 2006 Democratic congressional nominee in western and central Nebraska, is planning to reveal his political plans on Monday.

His candidacy would set the stage for a high-profile primary struggle with Columbus industrialist Tony Raimondo for the Democratic nomination.

Also in the contest is Larry Marvin of Fremont.

A Kleeb-Raimondo battle would dominate attention in a May 13 primary election thus far devoid of any major partisan contests.

“It would be terrific for our party,” Democratic State Chairman Steve Achelpohl of Omaha said.

“And it would produce a dynamic exchange of ideas.”

The winner would square off in November with Mike Johanns, a prohibitive favorite in his Republican primary tussle with Schuyler businessman Pat Flynn.

The Democratic contest would produce an intriguing match.

Kleeb, 32, was a Yale-educated Custer County ranch hand in 2006 when he set off Republican alarm bells by mounting a competitive 3rd District race that threatened the GOP’s 48-year hold on western Nebraska’s House seat.

On the weekend before the election, President Bush flew to Grand Island to rally Republican voters.  Kleeb subsequently lost to Republican Adrian Smith by 10 points.

Kleeb now teaches history at Hastings College.

Raimondo, 68, is chairman of Behlen Manufacturing Co., a metal building and grain storage manufacturer with a global market.

A lifelong Republican, he changed his party registration to Democratic to enter the race.  Raimondo originally considered a GOP bid for the Senate seat, but backed away after Johanns jumped into the contest and swiftly won the endorsement of Gov. Dave Heineman.

Raimondo has close ties to Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson, who was a Behlen director before his election to the Senate in 2000 and now serves on the company’s unpaid board of advisers.

Next week, Raimondo will officially kick off his campaign, beginning with a community event on Monday in Behlen’s company cafeteria.  

Raimondo’s campaign manager, Eric Fought, said he welcomes Kleeb’s apparent entry into the race.

“We’ve always believed Nebraskans deserve a choice in the race for U.S. Senate,” he said.  

“It’s good for Nebraskans to have a real active discussion of the issues and important for Nebraska Democrats to really look at the issues that are important to them and make their choice.”

Achelpohl said the winner of the Democratic struggle will emerge armed for the general election with “strong name recognition” across the state.

For the next several months, Achelpohl said, the Democratic primary contest will “put Mike Johanns in the shadows where he belongs.”

Johanns resigned as U.S. secretary of agriculture last September to return to Nebraska to seek the Senate seat.  He won gubernatorial elections in 1998 and 2002.

“Secretary Johanns does not know Professor Kleeb because he moved to Nebraska while (Johanns) was serving in the president’s cabinet,” said Chris Peterson, who is managing the Johanns campaign.

“But he looks forward to meeting the professor on the campaign trail.”

Kleeb, whose parents taught the dependents of U.S. military personnel, lived abroad during his youth.  He graduated from the University of Colorado, then moved in 1998 to Custer County, where his father had grown up.

After working on the McGinn Ranch for a year, he spent six years in post-graduate study and teaching at Yale before returning to Nebraska.  

Green Party candidate Steve Larrick of Lincoln also is bidding for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel at the end of the year.

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