By Don Walton
Delivering a strongly conservative message with a vow to "begin to take back our country from the Far Left," Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk announced Sunday that he will challenge embattled Rep. Jeff Fortenberry in the May Republican primary election for the 1st District House seat.
Flood, a former Speaker of the Legislature, announced his candidacy at a news conference in the State Capitol rotunda, arguing that Fortenberry's indictment on charges of allegedly lying to federal officials about illegal foreign contributions that were funneled into his 2016 reelection campaign places Nebraska's 1st District House seat at risk.
"If our Republican nominee is waging a battle against prosecutors in a courtroom out of state instead of campaigning here in the 1st District, this seat is in jeopardy," Flood said.
"If our nominee has to focus on beating felony criminal charges instead of defeating a serious Democrat opponent, we risk defeat in November," he said.
"Today, I am sad to say that Republicans are not on a path to victory here in our district."
Fortenberry, a former Lincoln city councilman, is seeking reelection to the House seat he has held since 2005.
Flood hammered at Democratic policy positions during his announcement, arguing that "Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi are using the House of Representatives to ram through a radical, socialist agenda that would destroy the country we love."
Read the full story from the Lincoln Journal Star here.