Republican Lee Terry launched his race for a seventh congressional term Sunday, adding one new twist to a kickoff event that otherwise repeated familiar campaign themes.
“I'm still talking about the same issues,” Terry said at the party attended by dozens at the Omaha Police Union Hall.
The 48-year-old 2nd District congressman pledged a continued push for energy independence, economic security, a balanced budget amendment, job creation and more trust in government.
As an incumbent Republican in a district that supported a Democratic president in 2008, Terry noted his vulnerability.
However, he said he's the candidate best-suited to be the “check and balance” of the current congressional leadership that Terry said touts transparency while acting behind closed doors.
Sunday's event included an obvious nod to Terry's need to win broad appeal in the most politically diverse district in Nebraska.
Lee Terry Sr., the master of ceremonies, told attendees that his son's last race was buoyed by Obama supporters who also voted for Terry. Melanee Wilhelm, a Democrat, was asked to talk about meeting Terry at the Starbucks coffee shop where she worked. She said he won her over, despite differences in party affiliations, with his willingness to chat and explain his positions.
Democratic challenger Tom White, however, said Sunday that Terry “is not a guy looking for the best solution for the country.”
White, a state senator and civil rights lawyer, said Terry rarely voted against the Republican leadership under President George W. Bush. By contrast, White said he thinks independently. He said, for example, that he has not been hesitant to lock horns with Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle, a Democrat, over a sales tax on the city's sewer project.
“Lee Terry is playing political tennis whenever he can,” White said.
Terry told a reporter that he has voted with President Obama about one-third of the time. He could not recall specific subjects but said he generally supported Obama on foreign policy.
“I'm not going to vote against a president just because ... he's a Democrat,” Terry said.
Terry reiterated his desire to protect taxpayers against “frivolous government spending.” He criticized Obama's health care bill and the year-old economic stimulus bill, saying it created few jobs and sent “$800 billion straight to the national debt.”
He defended his opposition to cap-and-trade legislation that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that many scientists say fuel climate change. Some called it an energy bill, Terry calls it an “anti-energy bill.”
Terry faced tough and close challenges in 2006 and 2008 from Democrat Jim Esch. But he said his strategy during this race — expected to be the state's hottest this election year — won't really change and will stress one-on-one chats.
Terry did add a new flair to the 2010 campaign kickoff by asking his wife to introduce him. Robyn Terry joked that she was surprised, as Terry typically does not want to hand her a microphone.
“Robyn is an equal partner in this,” Terry said later. “Her role has deepened and grown, so it just kind of made sense.”
The couple have three sons. Terry, a former Omaha City Council member, is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Creighton University School of Law.
Contact the writer:
444-1224, cindy.gonzalez@owh.com
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