Obama could lure Esch into House race

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By DON WALTON / Lincoln Journal Star

Nebraska Democrats experienced a little post-Obama, post-presidential caucus fallout Monday.

* Jim Esch, the young Omahan who chased Republican Rep. Lee Terry to the wire two years ago before ultimately losing by 10 percentage points, said Sen. Barack Obama’s candidacy may lure him back into a congressional race.

* Lancaster County Democrats announced they welcomed at least 2,547 new registrants into their party at Saturday night’s presidential caucuses.

* Eric Fought stepped aside as Nebraska Democratic Party deputy director to become campaign manager for Senate candidate Tony Raimondo.

Esch, 32, said several months ago he’d sit out the 2nd District House race this year.

“But this weekend did give me some pause,” Esch said in an e-mail Monday.

“Obama is running a campaign on the issues and themes nearly identical to mine.  I believe in him and I believe in the change he is trying to bring about.

“If this is truly a historic movement,” Esch said, “then as someone who wants to make a difference, it’s hard to sit on the sidelines. So the door is still open.”

Another Democrat, Richard Carter, jumped into the metropolitan Omaha House race at Saturday’s Sarpy County presidential caucus.

Carter, 30, is an economics instructor at Metro Community College and an Air Force Reserve officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Terry opened his campaign for a sixth term at a rally Sunday at the Omaha Police Union Hall.

Final results from the Lancaster County caucuses showed Obama with 7,355 supporters, or 68 percent of the vote. Sen. Hillary Clinton attracted 3,444 supporters and 32 percent of the vote.

Fought said Raimondo, chairman of Behlen Manufacturing Co., in Columbus, represents change and has “an incredible story to tell.”

Raimondo announced last week he will seek the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel at the end of the year.

Fought had been state party communications director since 2006 and added the title of deputy executive director last year. He managed state assembly campaigns in Wisconsin in 1998 and 2000.

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.