LINCOLN, Neb., Aug. 2, 2016—Sixteen candidates for the Nebraska Legislature now have the backing of the representative association for the mom-and-pop, Main Street businesses that are the engine of the state’s economy and the central pillar of every community.
“Small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses,” said Bob Hallstrom, Nebraska state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, speaking for the NFIB/Nebraska SAFE Trust, which made the endorsements. “They have different difficulties in remaining solvent and profitable, which is why we place a premium on a candidate’s understanding of this.”
Eight of the 16 candidates are incumbent senators who had a 90 percent or better pro-small-business voting record over the past four sessions of the Legislature; five are running in open seats; one, Ian Swanson, is challenging an incumbent; and another, Tom Briese, is running for an open seat unopposed. Endorsements for non-incumbents were based on interviews or their responses to a questionnaire.
The NFIB/Nebraska SAFE Trust endorsed candidates are:
- District 1 Sen. Dan Watermeier
- District 3 Sen. Tommy Garrett
- District 15 Sen. David Schnoor
- District 17 Joni Albrecht
- District 19 Sen. Jim Scheer
- District 21 Mike Hilgers
- District 23 Sen. Jerry Johnson
- District 25 Suzanne Geist
- District. 31 Ian Swanson
- District 33 Sen. Les Seiler
- District 35 Gregg Neuhaus
- District 39 Lou Ann Linehan
- District 41 Tom Briese
- District 43 Sen. Al Davis
- District 47 Karl Elmshaeuser
- District 49 Sen. John Murante.
NFIB is the nation’s largest and leading small-business association with 350,000 members nationwide, including nearly 5,000 in Nebraska. Learn more about the power of the small-business vote at this online media kit: Quick Information About Main Street, Nebraska. You’ll find single pages of bullet information on the nine topics contained in it.
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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.
National Federation of Independent Business/Nebraska
233 South 13th St., Suite 700
Lincoln, NE 68501-0008
402-474-3570
Twitter: @NFIB_NE
