Marilyn Asher Posed for Upset

Megan Hunt Can Lose District 8

At the outset, I knew there would be great difficulty in opposing Senator Megan Hunt as the district has liberal Dundee and Benson neighborhoods. Most of the political consultants told me such efforts to unseat Hunt were futile. Yet, Hunt is a toxic candidate.

In enters Marilyn Asher (https://marilynasher.com) who has a lot of skills to bring to a campaign and has brought in functional persons and created an active campaign. I know some may think I am being pollyannish about it but here are my arguments. The Hunt campaign as well as the Democrats appear to be short on volunteers. They have money but their ground game is suffering. Hunt yards signs are hard to find and are outnumbered by Vargas signs.

With Roe V Wade being thrown out, pro-life Catholics in the district have been activated including Saint Margaret Mary’s and Saint Pius X parishes. This means abortion moves to the front for these people. Yes, progressives are also animated on abortion but when the public understands what the law is and what actual reforms are being proposed, they lose support. The general public at least favors some forms of restrictions on abortion (https://www.liveaction.org/news/gallup-70-percent-favor-abortion-restrictions/).

There is also the matter of redistricting. Hunt was elected on district borders created during the Obama Administration 2010. But with the passage of time, the district has changed with people moving. The changes to District 8 appear to be substantial enough to disthrown Hunt and no political consultant has disputed me on this yet.

For example, the borders for the district moved further west and north, moving the district away from progressive bastions. (Old maps at https://nebraskalegislature.gov/about/leg_map.php and current maps can be selected at https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/554fffe52f394207a7142f920258b84a).

Also, the east and south borders were moved west and north. The district no longer goes south of Dodge Stree but goes further west.

I will watch this contest with great interest. I suspect Democrats are going to sit this election out and Republicans, conservatives, and independents will vote and bring about a change.