LaVISTA - State Sen. Tom White strode Saturday night to the brink of a 2010 bid for Republican Rep. Lee Terry's House seat.

White focused on Terry with the intensity of a laser beam during a speech to 350 Democrats, portraying the six-term congressman as a tool of the GOP House leadership.

Terry has "morphed from George Bush's rubberstamp into a proud, card-carrying member of the Party of No," White told the traditional Morrison-Exon Dinner audience.

In a pre-dinner interview, White said he plans to decide next month whether he'll enter metropolitan Omaha's 2nd District House race.

"I'm close to making a decision," he said. "It's fair to say I'm seriously considering entering the race."

Nebraska Democrats have pointed to the 2nd District seat as their premier target next year, believing they can build on President Obama's 2008 electoral vote victory in the district.

White, 52, an Omaha attorney, has been viewed as a strong challenger.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha acknowledged he's considering a 2010 challenge of Republican Gov. Dave Heineman.

But Lathrop's candidacy appears to be more of a long shot.

"There are many considerations," he said.

Among them, he said, are "family, my law practice and the fact that I love what I'm already doing in the Legislature."

Lathrop said he'll make his decision sometime this summer in plenty of time for other potential candidates to be aware of his plans.

Democrats generally acknowledge it will be difficult to unseat Heineman next year.

"It's uphill," Sen. Ben Nelson said during an interview.

"But it's possible. A number of issues are tailor-made for a challenger."

Nelson declined to be specific.

White did not identify Terry by name during his speech at the LaVista Conference Center.

"We have a certain congressman who enthusiastically supported just about every idea George W. Bush came up with," White said, "yet now reflexively votes against President Obama every chance he gets - just because his party leaders tell him to."

Terry voted last week against a supplemental appropriations bill that included funding for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, White said.

"We support the troops with more than just sound bites," he said.

"We will never, ever play politics with funding for troops in the field like House Republicans did."

During the pre-dinner interview, White said he's prepared to make an issue of Terry's voting record on support for the military and veterans issues if he enters the race.

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