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Deb Fischer

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For the astronomer, see Debra Fischer.

Deb Fischer
Official portrait, 2024
United States Senator
from Nebraska
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Serving with Pete Ricketts
Preceded byBen Nelson
Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byRoy Blunt
Member of the Nebraska Legislature
from the 43rd district
In office
January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byJim Jones
Succeeded byAl Davis
Personal details
Born
Debra Lynelle Strobel

(1951-03-01) March 1, 1951 (age 73)
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Bruce Fischer
​
(m. 1972)​
Children3
EducationUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln (BS)
WebsiteSenate website
Deb Fischer's voice
Deb Fischer on the intention of Judge John M. Gerrard to take senior status
Recorded February 10, 2022

Debra Lynelle Fischer (née Strobel; born March 1, 1951)[1] is an American politician and former educator serving as the senior United States senator from Nebraska, a seat she has held since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Fischer is the third woman to represent Nebraska in the U.S. Senate (after Eva Bowring and Hazel Abel) and the first to be reelected.

From 1990 to 2004, Fischer served on the Valentine Rural High School Board of Education. In 2004, she was elected to the Nebraska Legislature, representing the 43rd district for two terms. Fischer ran for the U.S. Senate in 2012 and was initially seen as a long-shot candidate, but pulled off an unexpected victory against state attorney general Jon Bruning in the Republican primary; in the general election, she defeated former Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey. In 2015, she became Nebraska's senior U.S. senator after Mike Johanns retired. Fischer opposes abortion without exception, rejects the scientific consensus on climate change, and supports repealing the Affordable Care Act. She condemned Donald Trump supporters for storming the U.S. Capitol in 2021 and voted to certify the results of the 2020 election.

Early life, education, and career

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Fischer was born Debra Lynelle Strobel on March 1, 1951, in Lincoln, Nebraska. She is the daughter of Florence M. (née Bock) and Gerold Carl Strobel.[2][3] Her father was the State Engineer/Director of the Nebraska Department of Roads under Governors Kay Orr and Ben Nelson and her mother was an elementary school teacher with Lincoln Public Schools.[2]

In 1972, Strobel married Bruce Fischer, from Valentine, Nebraska; she had met him at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.[2][3] She and her husband raised three sons on the Fischer family cattle ranch south of Valentine.[2][3] In 1987, she returned to the university and completed her B.S. degree in education.[3]

School board (1990–2004)

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In 1990, Fischer was elected to the Valentine Rural High School Board of Education, serving until 2004. Governor Mike Johanns appointed Fischer as a Commissioner to the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Post-Secondary Education from 2000 to 2004.[4]

Nebraska Legislature (2005–2013)

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Elections

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In 2004, Fischer ran for the Nebraska Legislature from the 43rd legislative district in the state's Sandhills region. In the nonpartisan primary, she came in second in a field of seven, receiving 2,226 votes (25.1%); front-runner Kevin T. Cooksley received 2,264 votes (25.5%). In the general election, she defeated Cooksley with 8,178 votes to his 8,050, a margin of 50.4%–49.6%.[5]

In 2008, she won reelection unopposed.[6] Nebraska's term-limits law precluded her running for reelection in 2012.[7]

Tenure

Fischer's district was geographically the largest in the Nebraska Legislature, comprising 12 counties and part of a 13th.[8] During her tenure in the legislature, she did a weekly radio show on seven stations covering her district, and wrote a weekly column printed in several newspapers.[9]

In 2007, Fischer helped lead a filibuster against a bill to create a statewide smoking ban for indoor workplaces and public places. Commonly known as the Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act, the bill passed and was signed into law in 2008.[10]

In 2009, Fischer was one of 14 co-sponsors of L.B. 675, which required abortion providers to display ultrasound images of the fetus at least one hour before performing abortions, in a position where the abortion seeker could easily view them. A spokesman for the National Right to Life Committee said the law was stronger than those of other states, which required only that the client be asked whether she wanted to see an ultrasound image. The measure passed by a 40–5 vote, and was signed into law by Governor Dave Heineman.[11]

Fischer chaired the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee[12] and helped pass the BUILD Nebraska Act through the Unicameral. This bill prioritized a quarter cent of the state sales tax for infrastructure projects.[13]

U.S. Senate (2013–present)

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Elections

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Deb Fischer's official portrait for the 113th Congress

2012

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Main article: 2012 United States Senate election in Nebraska
Primary

In January 2012, after incumbent Senator Ben Nelson announced his retirement, Fischer announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate.[14] The Republican primary campaign was expected to be a battle between Attorney General Jon Bruning and State Treasurer Don Stenberg; Fischer and three less well-known candidates were also on the ballot.[15][16]

During the campaign, environmentalists and others criticized Fischer because her family's ranch near Valentine grazed cattle on federal land, leasing it for about $110,000 per year less than the market rate on private land. Opponents of federal grazing leases argued that she should relinquish her family's permit if she wanted to remain "morally consistent" with her message of less government. Fischer argued that the poor quality of federal lands and the restrictions that come with federal leases make it inappropriate to compare them to private leases.[17]

During the campaign, Fischer was outspent by Bruning, who raised $3.6 million, and Stenberg, who spent $865,000. Fischer's campaign raised only $440,000. But Bruning and Stenberg spent much of their resources attacking one another; Fischer benefited from the damage that each did to the other's reputation. She was also aided by $725,000 in TV ads the Club for Growth bought attacking Bruning. Shortly before the election, she was endorsed by Nebraska U.S. Representative Jeff Fortenberry and by 2008 vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who recorded robocalls endorsing her; and a super PAC financed by former Omaha businessman Joe Ricketts paid for $250,000 worth of TV ads promoting Fischer and opposing Bruning.[15][18]

Fischer won the primary with 40% of the vote to Bruning's 35% and Stenberg's 18%. She took a plurality of votes in 75 of Nebraska's 93 counties. Bruning won 15 counties and Schuyler businessman Pat Flynn received a plurality in his home Colfax County. Fischer and Bruning tied in Kimball and Sioux counties.[16][19]

General election

In the general election, Fischer faced Democratic nominee Bob Kerrey, a former Nebraska governor and U.S. senator who was running for the seat he had held from 1989 to 2001.

During the campaign, Kerrey ran ads accusing Fischer of unprincipled conduct in the matter of a 1995 adverse possession suit, whereby the Fischers had attempted to obtain title to 104 acres (42 ha) of land adjoining their property.[20] Fischer maintained that their intent in filing the suit was to obtain a more manageable boundary for their ranch after repeated attempts to purchase the land had failed; according to an Omaha World-Herald analysis, the Kerrey campaign's statements about Fischer's actions in the Legislature failed to mention her support for a compromise measure that would have allowed NGPC to buy the land.[21] A Fischer spokesman accused Kerrey of "reckless disregard for the truth" and "gutter politics" in the matter.[20]

Fischer defeated Kerrey, 58%–42%. She won mainly by swamping Kerrey in the state's rural areas. She won 88 of Nebraska's 93 counties. Kerrey won only Douglas, Lancaster, Saline, Thurston, and Dakota Counties.[22]

2018

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Main article: 2018 United States Senate election in Nebraska

Fischer was reelected to the Senate in 2018, defeating Democratic nominee Jane Raybould by a significant margin.[23]

2024

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Main article: 2024 United States Senate election in Nebraska

Fischer is running for reelection in 2024.[24] She defeated Arron Kowalski in the Republican primary election in May. She faces independent candidate Dan Osborn, a former union leader, in the November general election.[25]

Tenure

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Fischer with Judge Brett Kavanaugh in July 2018

Fischer became the third female U.S. senator in Nebraska's history, and the first since 1954.[26][27] She was the first elected to a full term: of the earlier woman senators, Eva Bowring was appointed in 1954 to occupy the seat vacated by Dwight Griswold's death until a special election could be held to replace him later that year;[28] Hazel Abel won that special election to finish Griswold's term, but did not seek a full term.[29]

Committee assignments

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Political positions

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The American Conservative Union's Center for Legislative Accountability gave Fischer a lifetime rating of 81.12 as of 2021.[32] The politically liberal Americans for Democratic Action gave her a 2019 score of 0%.[33]

Abortion

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Fischer supports a national abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest.[34] She supports the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.[35]

Climate change

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Fischer rejects conclusions by the international scientific community that human emissions of greenhouse gases are the primary cause of global warming in recent decades. In May 2015, a legislative aide said, "the senator acknowledges the climate is changing but believes it is due to natural cycles."[36][37]

Gun access

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After the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, Fischer said any legislative proposals to restrict people on the terrorist watchlist from buying guns would not stop mass shootings. She said that preventing self-radicalization was more important than restricting gun access.[38]

Health care

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Fischer supports repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and has voted accordingly.[39][40][41]

LGBTQ rights

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In June 2020, Fischer expressed support for the Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County that "extended Civil Rights Act protections to gay, lesbian and transgender workers", saying, "It's important that we recognize that all Americans have equal rights under our Constitution. I'm fine with it."[42]

2020 presidential election

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Before the January 6, 2021, United States Electoral College vote count, Fischer announced that she would vote to certify the election results.[43] She was on Capitol Hill to participate in the count when Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. During the attack, Fischer tweeted: "These rioters have no constitutional right to harm law enforcement and storm our Capitol. We are a nation of laws, not some banana republic. This must end now."[44]

On May 28, 2021, Fischer voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack.[45] In January 2024, she endorsed Trump's 2024 presidential election campaign.[46]

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

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Fischer was among the 31 Senate Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.[47]

Personal life

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Fischer and her husband, Bruce, operate a family ranch, Sunny Slope Ranch, near Valentine, Nebraska. Their children own most of the stock in the family corporation, while the elder Fischers retain a minority share. In 2020, Fischer and her husband moved to Lincoln, Nebraska.[48]

Electoral history

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2012 U.S. Senate primary election results, Nebraska[49]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Deb Fischer 79,941 41.0
Republican Jon Bruning 70,067 35.9
Republican Don Stenberg 36,727 18.8
Republican Pat Flynn 5,413 2.8
Republican Spencer Zimmerman 1,601 0.8
Republican Sharyn Elander 1,294 0.7
Total votes 195,043 100
2012 U.S. Senate general election results, Nebraska[50]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Deb Fischer 455,593 57.77% +21.65%
Democratic Bob Kerrey 332,979 42.23% −21.65%
Total votes 788,572 100.0% N/A
Republican gain from Democratic
2018 U.S. Senate primary election results, Nebraska[51]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Deb Fischer (incumbent) 128,157 75.79%
Republican Todd F. Watson 19,661 11.63%
Republican Jack Heidel 9,413 5.57%
Republican Jeffrey Lynn Stein 6,380 3.77%
Republican Dennis Frank Macek 5,483 3.24%
Total votes 169,094 100%
2018 U.S. Senate general election results, Nebraska[52]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Deb Fischer (incumbent) 403,151 57.69% −0.08%
Democratic Jane Raybould 269,917 38.62% −3.61%
Libertarian Jim Schultz 25,349 3.63% N/A
Write-in 466 0.07% N/A
Total votes 698,883 100% N/A
Republican hold

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Lincoln Star from Lincoln, Nebraska". Newspapers.com. February 7, 1972. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d McCarthy, Mark (December 24, 2019). "Senator Deb Fischer: 'I love public policy making'". starherald.com. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Dianne G. Bystrom; Barbara Burrell (December 31, 2018). Women in the American Political System: An Encyclopedia of Women as Voters, Candidates, and Office Holders [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-61069-974-7.
  4. ^ "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress - Retro Member details". bioguideretro.congress.gov.
  5. ^ "Official Report of the Board of Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: Primary Election, May 11, 2004 and General Election, November 2, 2004". Archived March 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Nebraska Library Commission. pp. 31 (primary) and 30 (general). Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  6. ^ "Official Report of the Board of Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: General Election, November 4, 2008". Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Nebraska Library Commission. p. 17. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  7. ^ Hansen, Matthew. "Deb Fischer's path to politics fueled by grit, determination". Archived October 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Omaha World-Herald. September 30, 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
  8. ^ "U.S. Senate candidate makes final rounds before Primary". The Imperial Republican. Imperial, Nebraska. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  9. ^ "Senator moonlights as cowpoke on weekends". Unicameral Update. January 26, 2005. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
  10. ^ Young, JoAnne. "Lawmakers give first-round OK to smoking ban". Lincoln Journal Star. March 5, 2007. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
  11. ^ "Nebraska Lawmakers Pass Abortion Ultrasound Bill". Fox News. May 29, 2009. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
  12. ^ Bureau, Joseph Morton / World-Herald (January 29, 2015). "Deb Fischer taps Nebraska companies for transportation hearing". Omaha.com. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ "Investing in Infrastructure | Office of Governor Pete Ricketts". governor.nebraska.gov.
  14. ^ Thayer, John. "Senator Deb Fischer Files for U.S. Senate". Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine KSCR-AM. Archived January 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine February 1, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
  15. ^ a b Tysver, Robynn. "Fischer trips Bruning, will take on Kerrey for Senate seat". Kearney Hub. May 16, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
  16. ^ a b "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: Primary Election, May 15, 2012". Archived November 8, 2018, at the Wayback Machine Nebraska Secretary of State. pp. 15–18. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  17. ^ Tysver, Robynn. "Critics: Subsidy benefits Fischer". Omaha World-Herald. October 23, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  18. ^ "2012 House and Senate Campaign Finance for Nebraska: Stenberg for Senate 2012 Committee". Federal Election Commission. September 30, 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
  19. ^ Blum, Julie. "Flynn takes 2nd run at U.S. Senate". Columbus Telegram. March 12, 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
  20. ^ a b Wetzel, Diane. "Kerrey critical of Fischer's treatment of neighbor". North Platte Telegraph. October 16, 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  21. ^ Tysver, Robynn, and Matthew Hansen. "'Perfect' land at heart of Fischer dispute with neighbors". Archived November 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Omaha World-Herald. October 28, 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  22. ^ "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: General Election, November 6, 2012". Nebraska Secretary of State. p. 12. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  23. ^ Sanderford, Aaron (November 6, 2018). "Deb Fischer cruises to win over Raybould, returning to U.S. Senate". Omaha.com. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  24. ^ Sanderford, Aaron (January 30, 2024). "U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer files to run for re-election in Nebraska • Nebraska Examiner". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  25. ^ Marchel Hoff, Maya. "Nebraska US Sen. Deb Fischer wins Republican primary, will face Dan Osborn in November". USA Today. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  26. ^ White, Steve. "Fischer Win Makes Clean Sweep for Nebraska GOP". Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Nebraska.TV (ABC) Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine November 14, 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
  27. ^ Weiner, Rachel (May 16, 2012). "How Deb Fischer pulled an upset in Nebraska". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  28. ^ "Bowring, Eva Kelly". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  29. ^ "Abel, Hazel Hempel". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  30. ^ "Committee Members - U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics". www.ethics.senate.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  31. ^ "Committee Assignments - United States Senator Deb Fischer for Nebraska". www.fischer.senate.gov.
  32. ^ "Sen. Deb Fischer". American Conservative Union Foundation. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  33. ^ "ADA Voting Records | Americans for Democratic Action". Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  34. ^ Thakker, Prem (June 11, 2024). "UAW Endorses Nebraska Underdog Threatening to Unseat a Republican Senator". The Intercept.
  35. ^ staff, Nebraska Examiner (June 24, 2022). "Nebraskans react to the Roe v. Wade ruling • Nebraska Examiner". Nebraska Examiner.
  36. ^ Kim Morrow (May 16, 2015). "Local view: climate change has arrived in Nebraska". Lincoln Journal Star.
  37. ^ "Nebraska's climate change deniers". vice.com. April 25, 2017.
  38. ^ Morton, Joseph (June 19, 2016). "Nebraska, Iowa Senate Republicans say Dems' gun proposals are unlikely to halt future attacks". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  39. ^ "Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer Favors Rapid Repeal of ACA". Radio 570 WNAX. 2016.
  40. ^ "GOP makes pitch for replacing ObamaCare". The Hill. 2017.
  41. ^ Parlapiano, Alicia; Andrews, Wilson; Lee, Jasmine C.; Shorey, Rachel (July 25, 2017). "How Each Senator Voted on Obamacare Repeal Proposals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  42. ^ Everett, Burgess; Levine, Marianne (June 15, 2020). "GOP backs Gorsuch's LGBTQ decision after conservative blowback". Politico. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  43. ^ "'I will uphold my oath': Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer says widespread voter fraud not proven in 2020 election". KETV. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  44. ^ "'This must end now': Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer condemns 'rioters' storming US Capitol". KETV. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  45. ^ "Which senators supported a Jan. 6 Capitol riot commission". Washington Post. May 28, 2021.
  46. ^ Parsons, McKenzy (January 24, 2024). "Nebraska senator endorses former president Donald Trump following wins in New Hampshire and Iowa caucuses". KETV.
  47. ^ Folley, Aris (June 1, 2023). "Here are the senators who voted against the bill to raise the debt ceiling". The Hill. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  48. ^ Reed, Leslie. "Fischer: Don't count me out". Omaha World-Herald. April 21, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
  49. ^ "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska" (PDF). Secretary of State of Nebraska. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  50. ^ "2012 U.S. Senate General Election Results" (PDF). Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  51. ^ "2018 Nebraska primary election results" (PDF). Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  52. ^ "2018 Nebraska primary election results" (PDF). Retrieved March 17, 2020.

Further reading

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[edit]
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Nebraska
(Class 1)
2012, 2018, 2024 		Most recent
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Nebraska
2013–present
Served alongside: Mike Johanns, Ben Sasse, Pete Ricketts 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas United States Senator from Wisconsin Order of precedence of the United States
as United States Senator from Nebraska
since January 3, 2013 		Succeeded byas United States Senator from New Mexico
Preceded by United States senators by seniority
52nd 		Succeeded by
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