1 3 <p>Though his term as Nebraska's US Senator does not end until 2012, there is speculation that Democrat Ben Nelson may be in trouble in his home state. <a href="http://www.journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/article_19bc53c8-f4e8-11de-ab34-001cc4c002e0.html">As Nebraska's <em>Journal Star </em>reports</a>: "As a fresh poll measured the political cost of Sen. Ben Nelson's health reform vote, he prepared Tuesday to take his case directly to Nebraskans during Wednesday night's Holiday Bowl game. Nelson will air a new TV ad in which he attempts to debunk opposition claims that the Senate legislation represents a government takeover, and he makes the case for health care reform . . . The political damage Nelson may have incurred in providing the critical 60th vote that cleared the way for Senate passage of the health care reform bill showed up Tuesday in a poll released by Rasmussen Reports. The telephone survey of 500 Nebraskans, conducted Monday, suggested Republican Gov. Dave Heineman would defeat Nelson in a potential 2012 Senate race by a 61-30 margin. The poll showed Nelson with a 55 percent unfavorable rating and 64 percent disapproval for Democratic health care reform legislation."</p> Maurice Berger, Political Director, PollTrack 2010-01-03T10:15:29-05:00 1287 false true 2010-01-04T10:07:59-05:00 2010-01-04T10:07:59-05:00 1 3 <p>In the next seven days, no less than eight large American cities will pick mayors. As <em>Governing. com</em> writes: "Big city mayors often are rising political stars, generally command powerful political machines and invariably make important policy decisions. The national media ignores them almost entirely. So, it comes as no surprise that no one&nbsp;has noticed that we're about to enjoy a splendid week of mayoral elections. Voters in&nbsp;eight of the nation's sixty-five most populous cities will elect new mayors over the next week." <a href="http://ballotbox.governing.com/2009/05/in-may-a-feast-of-mayoral-elections.html">For an excellent rundown by Josh Goodman, click here. </a></p> Maurice Berger, Political Director, PollTrack 2009-05-05T10:04:58-04:00 904 false true 2009-05-05T10:05:47-04:00 2009-05-05T10:05:47-04:00