OMAHA, Neb. (AP) ? Democrat Bob Kerrey is receiving an endorsement from former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel on Thursday, a potential boost in his effort to pull ahead in Nebraska's tight race for an open Senate seat. Republicans supporting GOP hopeful Deb Fischer scoffed and suggested Hagel was sniffing around for a cabinet seat in the Obama administration.
"His interest was more at the international level than it was Nebraska," said Republican Sen. Mike Johanns, a personal friend of Hagel's who pointed out that the former senator angered the GOP with criticism of former President George W. Bush's handling of the war in Iraq.
"I think at the end of the day, people are going to look at this endorsement and see it for what it is," Johanns added. I think it's a step in his path to try to build those bone fides that he is truly an Obama person and deserves a place in his cabinet."
Kerrey and Hagel served together for four years before Kerrey left Washington in 2001; Hagel retired from the Senate eight years later.
The pairing could bolster Kerrey's argument that he would cross party lines if elected, and endear him to undecided voters who are starting to pay attention in the race's final week. Kerrey is locked in a tight contest with Fischer, a Republican state senator, to replace Democrat Ben Nelson, who decided not to seek a third six-year term.
Speaking at a state party gathering Thursday in Lincoln, Fischer said the Hagel endorsement wouldn't swing enough votes for Kerrey. The Valentine rancher pointed to her endorsements from major Republican figures in the state: Gov. Dave Heineman, Johanns, Nebraska's three GOP congressmen, and former governors Kay Orr and Charlie Thone.
Asked whether the endorsement would make Kerrey appear more bipartisan, Fischer pointed to her work as a state lawmaker in Nebraska's officially nonpartisan legislature. She pointed to several measures introduced by Democrats that she helped fast-track for the good of the state.
"Have you looked at the record?" Fischer said. "The record shows that I'm the one who has worked with Democrats and Republicans in the state Legislature."
Asked whether the Hagel endorsement would make a difference in the election, Heineman leaned into the microphone and simply said:
"No."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-gop-sen-hagel-back-democrat-kerrey-143121324--election.html
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