Jane Kleeb elected leader of state Democratic Party

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The future of the Nebraska Democratic Party is on the line today, as two of the state’s most prominent Democrats — Jane Kleeb and Chuck Hassebrook — battle for control of the state party.

Kleeb and Hassebrook are vying for the chairmanship in one of the most competitive Democratic leadership races in decades, if not longer. Both candidates and their supporters have been actively lobbying state delegates, who will decide the race today at the Democratic State Convention in Kearney.

“This is a very tight race, it’s a tough race,” said Hassebrook, who ran for governor in 2014.

It is a race that has clear ties to the Democratic primary battle between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. It is also a race that pits — in some perspective — newcomers to the party who support Sanders against old-guard Democrats who are backing Clinton.

Kleeb is a Sanders supporter, while Hassebrook endorsed Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.

About 400 delegates are expected to attend the convention, where four of the state’s party leadership posts are up for election. A majority of those delegates are likely to be Sanders supporters because the U.S. Senator from Vermont won the state’s caucuses in March and, therefore, his supporters were awarded a majority of state delegates.

If all those delegates show up, and if they vote along their presidential preference line, Kleeb may be in the driver’s seat. But, at state conventions, anything can happen, and delegates can vote any way they want.

Kleeb is running as the candidate who wants to unite both wings of the party. She also is running as the candidate who has proved an ability to mobilize Nebraskans at a grass-roots level and for “getting things done.”

Kleeb made a name for herself on both the state and national stage fighting against the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Her efforts helped lead to the pipeline being sidelined in Nebraska and eventually rejected by President Barack Obama. Kleeb also is the founder and head of a progressive group known as Bold Nebraska.

“I think the Democratic Party is really at a crossroads and needs to decide if they’re going to be a party that includes everybody at the table, including progressives and moderates,” Kleeb said. “Or, if they continue with the status quo and continue to lose statewide elections.”

Hassebrook is also well-known to many Nebraskans. And he argues that he has a long history of fighting for “fairness and opportunity for ordinary people” as the longtime head of the Center for Rural Affairs, a national organization committed to helping rural and low-income Americans.

He stepped down from the organization in 2013 after he decided to run for governor. He lost a year later to Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts. “I can assure the delegates that no one will work harder with more commitment, perseverance and dedication than me,” Hassebrook said.

Hassebrook was the first person to enter the race. In fact, it looked for a long time that no one would seriously challenge his candidacy. Then, earlier this month, Kleeb announced that she had formed a “unity ticket” composed of Clinton and Sanders supporters to battle for all four of the state’s leadership positions.

The so-called unity ticket quickly ran into criticism from Hassebrook and others, who argued that delegates should not be asked to vote for a slate of candidates but should decide each race on its merits. Since then, three of the four original members of the unity ticket have dropped out, leaving Kleeb as the last candidate standing from the slate.

It also forced Kleeb to step up and run for the chairmanship. Originally, she had wanted only to become the party’s second-in-command, after persuading Chairman Vince Powers to run for re-election. However, Powers has since withdrawn his name.

Former State Sen. Steve Lathrop and Omaha philanthropist Andy Holland also withdrew their names for the posts of national committeeman and national committeewoman.

The current national committeewoman, Patty Zieg, of Omaha is running against Linda Anderson, a Sanders supporter from Bellevue. Zieg is a Clinton supporter.

The current national committeeman, Ron Kaminski, is running against Bud Pettigrew of Valentine. Kaminski is a Clinton supporter, and Pettigrew supports Sanders.

Finally, Maureen Monahan is running for re-election as first associate chair. However, if Kleeb wins the chairmanship, Monahan will be unable to run. The state party rules require a gender mix for the chairman and first associate chair.

If Kleeb wins the chairmanship, Frank LaMere of South Sioux City will run to be her second-in-command.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1309, robynn.tysver@owh.com