DON WALTON / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Sunday, July 2, 2006 7:00 pm
Sen. Ben Nelson and Republican challenger Pete Ricketts lighted a few fireworks a day early Monday.
Nelson held a press conference at Ted’s Sinclair station on Center Street in Omaha to declare that Ricketts supports a national sales tax that would increase gas prices by 30 percent. Ricketts issued a news release calling on the senator to “stop misleading Nebraskans (by) repeatedly distorting my position on tax reform.”
Each of them complained that the other was engaged in negative campaigning four months in advance of their Senate showdown this November.
Ricketts’ latest TV “attack ad” is deceptive and misleading, the Nelson campaign said in an e-mail dispatched to supporters.
“And by running a campaign based solely on partisan identification, he is running one of the most divisive campaigns in Nebraska history.”
Any suggestion that Nelson’s re-election would hand Democrats control of the Senate ignores the fact that six Republican senators would need to lose their re-election bids before that could happen, the Nelson campaign said.
Ricketts said Nelson and the Nebraska Democratic Party have orchestrated “at least two dozen negative attacks” against him since the May 9 primary election.
“Your record on taxes and spending is questionable at best,” Ricketts said in response to the senator.
The dustup over Ricketts’ position on tax reform revolves around Nelson’s contention that his opponent has endorsed a national consumption tax.
That sort of national sales tax would hurt Main Street and middle class families, Nelson said, while benefiting the wealthiest 5 percent of Nebraskans as well as Wall Street and corporations.
Ricketts said he has mentioned a consumption tax as only one of the options that should be considered in approaching tax reform.
“My Number One priority as a U.S. senator will be to lower the tax burden on Nebraska families,” he said.
“Ricketts’ tax would hurt working Nebraska families,” Nelson said.
“Washington politics as usual,” Ricketts declared.
Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.