Nelson hasn’t announced whether he will run for re-election, but all signs point to him running. He had $1.5 million in his campaign account at the end of 2010, and he has begun hiring campaign staff. Johnson managed Kerrey and Nelson’s previous campaigns.
“We’re hiring staff. We’re raising money. We’re doing the various elements of putting a campaign together,” Johnson told Roll Call on Friday. “He always takes his time making a final decision, but unless there’s some unforeseen circumstance that causes a change, he’s definitely running.”
Kerrey said it’s likely that if Nelson were to decide not to run, there would be a competitive primary on the Democratic side, too, but he hoped that wouldn’t be the case.
“I’ve talked to him and told him that if he decides to run, I’ll do whatever I can to help him. It’d be a terrible loss for Nebraska if he decides not to run,” Kerrey said.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
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