Jim Esch realizes he's “torqued off” a few Democrats by dropping the “D” behind his name, but the two-time congressional contender says he was tired of feeling like a “hypocrite.”
Esch said he always had reservations about belonging to a political party, because he believes the parties often hinder progress in the country.
He said he became a Democrat, in large part, because he figured he needed to belong to a “team” to run for office.
“I don't think it's a giant surprise to anybody that I have a pretty independent-minded streak,” said Esch, 33, of Omaha. “I feel a little hypocritical when I go to Democratic parties and say, ‘I'm a Democrat' when I don't believe in the party.”
Esch, who recently returned from an out-of-town trip, changed his party affiliation to independent last week.
He said the switch was not motivated by political ambition.
Esch said he does not have plans to run for office, either for the Nebraska Legislature or Omaha City Council, both nonpartisan offices. He said he has come to realize that a person does not have to hold elective office to change the system.
Esch is involved in a nonpartisan group called The Voice that seeks to motivate voters in Omaha and support local leaders.
“I think the assumption everybody is making (is) that I want to run again. Sadly, I have come to find out that I can get a lot more done behind the scenes than in front,” he said.
Esch made two back-to-back attempts to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Terry. He came within 10 points in 2006 and closed the gap to 4 points in 2008 with the help of a Barack Obama wave in the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District.
Esch's decision to switch parties came as a surprise to Vic Covalt, chairman of the Nebraska Democratic Party.
Covalt noted that a lot of Democrats worked to try to get Esch elected. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also poured more than $700,000 into each of Esch's House races.
“I think he's a good Democrat and I want him back. He's welcome to come back,” he said.
Covalt also noted that if Esch plans to run again, he will find it very hard to do without a ready-made political base.
“We're home. We're family. Now he has no home and no family,” said Covalt, who has not spoken to Esch since he made the switch.
Esch was a registered independent until after he completed law school. He said he remembers being told by Richard Shugrue, a Democrat and retired law professor at Creighton University, that he needed to pick a “team” if he wanted to run for office.
He said he accepted Shugrue's advice, even though he objects to the idea that either party has a lock on good ideas. He also objects to a push within both parties to “vilify the other side.”
As for Obama, Esch said he supports the president but believes Democrats are not living up to the president's call for a change in the way Washington is run. He said congressional leaders appear too eager to stoke partisan rancor.
“The Democratic Party had a great opportunity to not have politics as usual. And I think that's what we've gotten so far,” Esch said.
With politics behind him for the immediate future, Esch is working on business. He said he and several business partners are putting together a company to help entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground.
“I do kind of feel like my generation ... would rather see people just get something accomplished,” Esch said.
Contact the writer:
444-1309, robynn.tysver@owh.com
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