Ben Nelson

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Ben Nelson currently serves as the Sr. Senator for Nebraska
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Ben Nelson currently serves as the Sr. Senator for Nebraska

Earl Benjamin Nelson a Democrat, is currently the senior Senator from Nebraska. He was first elected in 2000. (map)

Contents

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Record and controversies

General information about important bills and votes for can be found in Congresspedia's articles on legislation. You can add information you find on how Ben Nelson voted by clicking the "[edit]" link to the right and typing it in. Remember to cite your sources!
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Iraq War

Nelson voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq in Oct. 2002.

In March 2007, it was revealed that Sens. Nelson and John Warner (R-Va.) had been discussing the possibility of breaking ranks and coming up with a compromise piece of legislation regarding the President's plan for a troop "surge" in Iraq and the over $120 billion Iraq War spending bill.

Main article: Congressional actions regarding President Bush’s 2007 proposed troop “surge” in Iraq

On March 15, Nelson was one of two Democratic Senators who voted against a joint resolution to revise U.S. policy in Iraq. The measure failed 48-50.

Main article: U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Iraq Accountability Act, 2007 (H.R.1591)
For more information see the chart of U.S. Senate votes on the Iraq War.
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Environmental record

For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

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Gang of 14

On May 23, 2005, Nelson was one of fourteen Senators to forge a compromise on the Democrats' use of the judicial filibuster, thus blocking the Republican leadership's attempt to implement the so-called "nuclear option". Under the agreement, the Democrats would retain the power to filibuster one of President Bush's judicial nominees only in an "extraordinary circumstance", and the three most conservative Bush appellate court nominees (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William H. Pryor, Jr.) would receive a vote by the full Senate. Subsequently, he was the only Democratic senator to vote in favor of Brown; he was later the first Democratic senator to support Samuel Alito's confirmation to the Supreme Court.

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Vote against stem cell bill

Nelson was one of two Democrats in the Senate who voted against the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 which would have lifted restrictions on stem cell research. It passed the Senate in a vote of 63-34. It was later vetoed by President George W. Bush. The other Senator was Bob Casey (D- PA).[1]

Main article: U.S. federal stem cell legislation#Senate
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Vote to confirm Michael Mukasey as Attorney General

Nelson was one of six Democrats to vote in favor of confirming Michael Mukasey as Attorney General. The controversial vote's final tally was 53-40 in favor of confirmation. [2]

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Bio

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Background

Nelson was born May 17, 1941 in McCook, Nebraska. Nelson earned a BA (1963), Master's degree (1965), and Juris JD (1970) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was an attorney and insurance executive before being elected governor as a in 1990, and was easily reelected in 1994. During his first race for governor, he ran against Kay A. Orr.

Nelson left the governor's office in 1999 after two terms. Instead he ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1996 but was defeated by Republican Chuck Hagel. He ran again in 2000 after incumbent Bob Kerrey, announced his retirement. Nelson won with 51% of the vote.

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Senate Career

Nelson is among the leading conservative Democrats in the Senate. Nebraska has traditionally been a conservative state and Nelson's relatively conservative record has resulted in high approval ratings.

He voted twice, with three other Democrats, to end Senate debate over President Bush's United Nations Ambassador nominee John Bolton. He was one of only two Democratic senators to vote against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. Nelson supports eliminating the estate tax and voted in favor of both the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003. He has voted with Republicans on matters of bankruptcy reform, environmental protection, lawsuit reform, and trade. He opposes most gun control laws and supports expanding use of the federal death penalty. He was one of only three Democratic senators to vote to invoke cloture on the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment. Nelson has also voted against increasing funds for Head Start and energy assistance for people with low incomes. Votes such as these have often placed Nelson, perceived by most political observers as a moderate conservative, at odds with the leadership of his party. Democratic Party Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has said that Nelson is probably the most conservative Democrat in the entire Senate caucus [1] [2].

Nelson is one of several Democrats in the Senate with a pro-life voting record. Nelson is a member of the Democrats for Life of America, a national organization for pro-life members of the Democratic party that advocates a 95% reduction in the number of abortions performed over the next 10 years. Nelson has also opposed legislation put forth by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton that aimed to reduce the number of abortions by making sex education and contraceptives more available, putting Nelson in the same column as many conservative Republicans.

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2006 elections

In 2006, the Republicans nominated Pete Ricketts to face Nelson in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) [3] Nelson retained his seat.

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Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. For specific controversies, see this article's record and controversies section. <crpcontribdata>cid=N00005329&cycle=2006</crpcontribdata>

Links to more campaign contribution information for Ben Nelson
from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile: 2006 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation: 2006 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by industry: 2006 election cycle Career totals


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Committees and Affiliations

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Committees

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Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

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More Background Data

Wikipedia also has an article on Ben Nelson. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

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Contact

DC Office:
720 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-2705
Phone: 202-224-6551
Fax: 202-228-0012
Web Email
Website

District Office- Lincoln:
287 Denny Federal Building
100 Centennial Mall North
Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: 402-441-4600
Fax: 402-476-8753

District Office- Omaha:
7602 Pacific Street, Suite 205
Omaha, NE 68114
Phone: 402-391-3411
Fax: 402-391-4725

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Articles and resources

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Resources

  • Official website
  • Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress
  • Democrats for Life of America
  • Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database
  • See how you compare to Ben Nelson
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    Related SourceWatch articles

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    Articles

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    Local blogs and discussion sites

    Corresponding article on Wikipedia and Cause Caller. (If Cause Caller link does not work, pick from its list of senators and representatives.)

    Current Office: U.S. Senate
    111th Congress
    Leadership Position:
    		Committees Chaired:
    		Committees,
    Ranking Member On:
    		Caucuses:
    Committees:
    110th Congress
    Leadership Position:
    None     		Committees Chaired:
    		Committees,
    Ranking Member On:
    		Caucuses:
    Committees: Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry, Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry/Subcommittee on Energy Science and Technology, Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry/Subcommittee on Domestic and Foreign Marketing Inspection and Plant and Animal Health, Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry/Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization Conservation Forestry and Credit, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on Agriculture Rural Development Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on the Financial Services and General Government, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on Interior Environment and Related Agencies, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on Legislative Branch, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies, Senate Committee on Armed Services, Senate Committee on Armed Services/Subcommittee on Personnel, Senate Committee on Armed Services/Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Senate Committee on Armed Services/Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
    Congressional Career
    First Elected to Current Office:
    November 7, 2000     		First Took Current Office:
    January 3, 2001     		Next Election:
    November 6, 2012     		Term Ends:
    Freshman Member?
    No     		Previous Political Work?
    Nebraska governor     		Other Party Membership:
    District Offices:
    1. 287 Denny Federal Building, 100 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, NE 68508
    Phone: 402-441-4600 / Fax: 402-476-8753
    2. 7602 Pacific Street, Suite 205, Omaha, NE 68114
    Phone: 402-391-3411 / Fax: 402-391-4725




    Campaign Contact:

    Website:
    Webform Email: / Email:

    Campaign Offices:

    1.
    Phone: / Fax:



    Zip Code Affiliations:
    Misc:

    Date of Birth: May 17, 1941







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