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Nelson, Ben

CANDIDATE DETAILS

Affiliation

Democratic

Name

Ben Nelson

Address

1915 North 121st Street
Omaha, Nebraska 68154, United States

None

Website

http://nelson2012.com/

Donate

Born

May 17, 1941 (82 years)

Contributor

411 Name Removed

Last Modifed

Paul 🇺🇦
Feb 23, 2013 02:30am

Tags

Caucasian - Married - Christian - Methodist - Protestant - Straight -

Info

Earl Benjamin Nelson

Ben Nelson was a paper boy and a Boy Scout growing up in McCook.

His mother was a clerk and a cook, and his father, an electric lineman and volunteer firefighter. Ben's mother taught him the importance of religion in his life, taking him to church and Sunday school every week at McCook's First Christian Church. His father was his Scoutmaster and hunting and fishing buddy and instilled in Ben a love of politics, taking him every Memorial Day to visit the grave of the late Senator George Norris, another native of McCook.

Early on, Ben learned the importance of hard work, getting up hours before dawn to work at the local bakery while the town still slept.

Ben's parents taught him the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. They also taught him that the Golden Rule means that you should help people when they need it.

With the help of scholarships, Ben worked his way through college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln returning to UNL to receive a Masters Degree and law degree. He spent summers working on the railroad, for the state insurance department, and as a student minister.

Before deciding to go into law, Ben felt a strong pull towards the seminary. He was a youth pastor at First Christian Church in Lincoln, and went on to serve as a student minister at five congregations across Nebraska - presiding at weddings, funerals, and baptisms. He was good at taking the time to just plain listen while people explained their troubles.

With high hopes of becoming a military pilot, Ben spent two years in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, but couldn't pass the eye exam necessary to continue with the program.

From his high school days in the model legislature and watching the long-shot election of his high school principal Ralph Brooks as Governor, Ben has always felt the strong pull of civic responsibility and a call to public service. In 1990, he was elected as Governor of Nebraska. In 1994, he won re-election with a resounding 73 percent of the vote. In 2000, Ben won a very close race to represent Nebraska in the United States Senate.

Ben has continually been one of the leading advocates for ethanol and has worked tirelessly to promote renewable fuels. As Governor, Ben founded the Governors Coalition for Ethanol to promote increased ethanol use and saw the production of ethanol in Nebraska triple and the number of plants grow from one to six. He has continued to work for ethanol in the Senate, and was successful in passing a Renewable Fuels Standard that will double the production of renewable fuels to 7.5 billion gallons. Today, Nebraska has the nation's third largest ethanol production with eleven plants that produce over 500 million gallons of ethanol and two more under construction.

Ben has always been willing to put partisan politics aside to get things done. In Lincoln, he was known as someone who could bring both sides together, regardless of ideology, to put aside disputes and work out compromises to serve the greater good. He ran for Senate on the principle of putting aside party labels to work with both Republicans and Democrats to accomplish what's best for Nebraska, and has achieved national recognition for being one of a few Senators who actually does reach across partisan lines to find solutions. President Bush said of Ben, "He is a man with whom I can work, a person who is willing to put partisanship aside to focus on what's right for America.

Ben is a strong supporter of 2nd Amendment rights. He doesn't believe in new gun laws and has opposed attempts to put new burdens on lawful gun owners. Ben loves to hunt and fish. He doesn't brag about his outings, like most Nebraskans, although he has indeed won both the domestic Grand Slam and international World Slam for hunting wild turkey.

While it is a great honor to serve Nebraska in the Senate, Ben is happiest when he is back in the state with his family. Ben and his first wife adopted two children at birth, Sarah and Patrick. Ben was widowed and five years later married Diane Gleason. They have four children and three grandchildren in their blended family. As a proud grandfather, Ben returns home nearly every weekend to be with his family and with his friends and neighbors, the people of Nebraska.

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