13 November 2008

Nebraska 1st

In America’s agricultural heartland

A man sells pork at a market in Lincoln, Nebraska. The pork industry is prominent in the region.

The Nebraska 1st Congressional District runs along Nebraska's eastern border. It surrounds but does not include the state's largest city, Omaha, which makes up its own separate congressional district. Much of the district consists of small towns and rural areas. Agriculture, higher education, technology, health care and government are key industries.

NEWS FROM THE DISTRICT

• After the Election, Life Returns to Normal in Lincoln, Nebraska

• 2008 Campaign Engaging, but not Overwhelming, Nebraskans

• Nebraska Races Pit Youth Against Experience

• Student Sets Sights on Congress

• Nebraska Democrats Hope to Influence Presidential Nominations

• Football Bridges Partisan Politics

• Statesman Revitalized Democratic Party

OVERVIEW

Population: 570,423. More than 90 percent of the population is white, according to the U.S. Census. 181,300 voters are registered Republicans and 130,675 are registered Democrats. 2,816 are registered to other parties and 61,443 voters do not belong to any party.

Geography: The 1st District runs along Nebraska's eastern border. It surrounds but does not include the state's largest city, Omaha, which makes up its own separate congressional district. Much of Nebraska's 1st District consists of small towns and rural areas. The largest city is the state capital, Lincoln.

Corn is a major crop in Nebraska.

Major industries: Agriculture, higher education, technology, health care and government are key industries. The district's pork industry is the seventh largest in the country, bringing in more than $500 million annually. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a major employer.

Congressional Leaders: Representative Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican, is serving his second term in the House of Representatives. Nebraska's senators are Chuck Hagel, a second-term Republican, and Ben Nelson, a second-term Democrat.

Local Newspapers: Lincoln Journal Star, Fremont Tribune and Norfolk Daily News

POLITICAL HISTORY

The 1st District consistently votes Republican at all levels. The University of Nebraska, like universities in many districts across the United States, makes its home district more liberal than surrounding areas, but the Nebraska 1st still has more registered Republicans than registered Democrats. The strongest Democratic areas are in the northeast, especially in Thurston County, which is populated entirely by the Omaha and Winnebago American-Indian reservations.

Senator Chuck Hagel announced he will not run for re-election in 2009. Former governor and Lincoln mayor Mike Johanns will be the Republican candidate for the seat. Johanns resigned as U.S. secretary of agriculture to run for the office. He will face Scott Kleeb, a college professor.

Nebraska is one of two states that award their Electoral College vote proportionally by congressional district. Therefore it is possible that one presidential candidate could win and receive an electoral vote from the 1st district without winning the entire state of Nebraska. However, this has never happened.

KEY ISSUES

Agriculture and livestock are the district's largest industries, so voters have a strong interest in agricultural policy. Climate-change issues, particularly those related to the development of renewable energy sources, are important to many voters because part of the district's corn crop is devoted to ethanol production.

INTERESTING FACTS

The district includes the state's capital, Lincoln, and the University of Nebraska's Memorial Stadium, which could qualify as the state's third-largest city when filled to its 85,197-seat capacity during the college football season.

Charles Lindbergh, the first pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic, learned to fly at the Lincoln Airplane and Flying School.

Entertainer Johnny Carson attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

A large brick star at the intersection of 13th and O streets in Lincoln is said to mark the spot where the American West begins.

The Lincoln Municipal Airport is among the emergency landing sites for the NASA space shuttle.