Ben Nelson
| Ben Nelson | ||
 | ||
| U.S. Senate, Nebraska | ||
| Retired Senator | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 2001-January 3, 2013 | ||
| Party | Democratic | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 7, 2006 | |
| First elected | 2000 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Nebraska Governor | ||
| 1991-1999 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | |
| Master's | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | |
| J.D. | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | May 17, 1941 | |
| Place of birth | McCook, Nebraska | |
| Profession | Attorney, Insurance Executive | |
| Religion | Methodist | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Nelson did not seek re-election in 2012 and was succeeded by Republican Deb Fischer, who won the general election on November 6, 2012.
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Nelson was a "centrist Democrat".[1]
Biography
 |
The information about this individual is current as of when they left office. See anything that needs updating? Send a correction to our editors |
Nelson was born in McCook, in southwestern Nebraska. He earned a B.A. in 1963, a M.A. in 1965, and a J.D. in 1970 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Nelson made his name and money in the insurance industry. After graduating from law school, Nelson landed a job as assistant general counsel for Central National Insurance Group of Omaha. In 1975, he became state insurance director before going back to work for Central National Insurance as an executive vice president and eventually president. He won his first elected office in 1990 when he became governor of Nebraska.[2]
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2011-2012
Nelson serves on the following committees:[3]
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit
- Subcommittee on Energy, Science and Technology
- Subcommittee on Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant and Animal Health
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
- Subcommittee on Homeland Security
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Legislative Branch (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
- Subcommittee on Personnel
- Subcommittee on Strategic Forces (Chairman)
Issues
Fiscal Cliff
Nelson voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by a 89/8 vote on January 1, 2013.[4]
Elections
2012
Nelson did not seek re-election in 2012.[5] Deb Fischer (R) defeated Bob Kerrey (D) and Russell Anderson (I) in the general election.
2006
On November 7, 2006, Nelson was re-elected to the United States Senate for a second term. He defeated Pete Ricketts (R). [6]
| United States Senate Nebraska General Election, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Ben Nelson Incumbent |
63.9% | 378,388 | |
| Republican | Pete Ricketts | 36.1% | 213,928 | |
| Total Votes | 592,316 | |||
Campaign donors
2010
Nelson was re-elected to the U.S. Senate for a second term in 2006. His campaign committee raised a total of $7,624,168 and spent $7,486,646.[7]
| U.S. Senate, Nebraska, 2006 - Ben Nelson Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $7,624,168 |
| Total Spent | $7,486,646 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $13,424,896 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $13,417,690 |
| Top contributors to Ben Nelson's campaign committee | |
| Berkshire Hathaway | $77,400 |
| Level 3 Communications | $56,800 |
| NelNet Inc | $44,100 |
| Omaha Steaks | $36,100 |
| Blue Cross/Blue Shield | $34,400 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Insurance | $648,450 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $525,244 |
| Securities & Investment | $305,399 |
| Lobbyists | $286,184 |
| Real Estate | $280,446 |
Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Nelson paid his congressional staff a total of $2,489,798 in 2011. He ranked 11th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranked 40th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Nebraska ranks 38th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[8]
Net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Nelson's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $6,562,096 and $13,799,001. That averages to $10,180,548.50, which was lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senators in 2010 of $19,383,524.[9]
Political positions
National Journal vote ratings
Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members, in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.
2012
According to the data released in 2013, Nelson was ranked the 48th most conservative senator during 2012.[10]
2011
According to the data released in 2012, Ben Nelson was ranked the 48th most conservative senator during 2011.[11]
Percentage voting with party
November 2011
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Ben Nelson voted with the Democratic Party 79.6% of the time, which ranked 51st among the 51 Senate Democratic members in November 2011.[12]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Ben + Nelson + Nebraska + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Ben Nelson News Feed
- Snowe Plans to Fix Washington from the Outside In - The Fiscal Times - The Fiscal Times
- Don Walton: Heineman may be ready to run - Lincoln Journal Star
- Greater Nebraska candidates spend more than $800000 - Rapid City Journal
- Email Trips Up Nebraska Attorney General, Agrees to $19000 Penalty - Roll Call (blog)
- Kelly: Omaha is tops in US for least financial stress - Omaha World-Herald
- State Roundup - Annuity Outlook Magazine
- Nebraska Attorney General fined $19000 by FEC - Beatrice Daily Sun
- State's top lawyer agrees to pay hefty fine for campaign gaffes - Nebraska Radio Network
- Open Democratic Senate Seats Again Give Big Opportunity For GOP, Or Not - NPR (blog)
- Bruning best suited for fall's general election - Grand Island Independent
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
Personal
He is married to Diane Nelson.
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Works by or about:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "Ben Nelson," Accessed March 3, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "Ben Nelson," Accessed October 21, 2011
- ↑ Ben Nelson Official Senate Website "About Committees," Accessed October 21, 2011
- ↑ U.S. Senate "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedretire - ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Ben Nelson 2006 Election Data," Accessed October 26, 2011
- ↑ LegiStorm "Ben Nelson"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Nelson, (D-Nebraska), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "TABLE: House Liberal Scores by Issue Area," February 26, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by J. Robert Kerrey |
United States Senate - Nebraska 2001-2013 |
Succeeded by Deb Fischer (R) |
| Preceded by Kay A. Orr |
Nebraska Governor 1991–1999 |
Succeeded by Mike Johanns |
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