Nebraska 1st Congressional District 2022 Voter Guide: Republicans

April 19, 2022, 11 a.m. ·

Nebraska Public Media News Campaign Connections 2022

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Republicans will have five candidates to choose from this May for the 1st District Congressional primary election. Nebraska Public Media News spoke with three of those candidates as part of our Campaign Connection 2022 election coverage. Candidate Curtis Huffman did not respond in time for this story. Former Congressman Jeff Fortenberry will also appear on the ballot. He resigned from his position and has suspended his campaign after being convicted of lying to the FBI. during an investigation into illegal campaign contributions.


Thireena Yuki Connely

1st District Republican Congressional Candidate Thireena Yuki Connely Smiles wearing a maroon balzer with a black undershirt against a grey background. Her brown hair crosses her right shoulder and droops down her right side.
1st District Republican Congressional Candidate Thireena Yuki Connely (Photo courtesy of Thireena Yuki Connely)

Party: Republican

Age: 31

Occupation: Author, Teacher

Why should voters choose you over the other candidates in this race? What makes you stand out?

“I'm kind of in this race as a normal person. I'm kind of sick of people saying that they're representing me when they don't really know what it's like to live normal lives. For example, like, my other opponents, I don't own a lot of businesses, I don't make a lot of money. You know, I homeschool my kids and I just live life normally. So I feel like I would know what would affect us more than what would affect my company more.”

If elected, what would be your top policy priority and how would you approach getting it done?

“My biggest priority would be spending. I've always been worried about spending, even when I was younger, which is really weird to say. Even when I was in high school, I would watch C-SPAN or I would look at these news articles and I would say, ‘Why are we spending this much money on this? We need to spend it on Americans, we need to spend it in our country because we can't help other countries if we don't even help ourselves first.’"

Considering agriculture’s outsized contribution to Nebraska’s economy, what policy would you pursue to advance agricultural interest and develop rural communities?

“I think we're doing a really great job when it comes to agricultural research. I did read a lot of papers and I did read the omnibus bill that they just passed about all of the scientific methods that they wanted to fund and I think that's a step in the right direction. I know that a lot of people here in Nebraska are really worried about agricultural imports coming here when we could sustain ourselves. I think we need to put a lot of agriculture in states’ hands before it even goes to the federal level. So I would really like for Nebraska to have more power over their agriculture exports than the federal government would.”

Do you have any disagreements with your party on prominent issues?

“I do want to vote on bills that'll help the American people. I don't want to vote for bills just because my party said, you know, ‘We're going to introduce this, you should vote for it.’ I will vote my conscience. I won't vote just because my party tells me to and I think that's one of the problems we have right now when it comes to the two-party system. You have people who will vote just for their party.”

Why should voters of the opposite party vote for you? If you had to appeal to them to win, what would be your message?

“I know that a lot of people say, ‘Oh, Republicans are these, you know, rich, old white men.' I mean, I hear it all the time. But when you look at me, I'm a minority. I'm a woman, I'm a millennial. And so I'm telling people, you know, I'm a normal person like you. I want Americans to thrive and that's what I'm fighting for. I'm not fighting for these big corporations, I'm not fighting for white people, or whatever they want to say. I'm just fighting for the normal people who are living their normal lives. I know that us as middle-class citizens are not thriving like we should be. I want to fix that.”


Mike Flood

1st District Republican Congressional Candidate Mike Flood Smiling wearing glasses. He wears a navy suit, white shirt and blue tie with yellow/white circles.
1st District Republican Congressional Candidate Mike Flood. (Photo courtesy of Mike Flood for U.S Congress)

Party: Republican

Age: 47

Occupation: State Senator, Business Owner

Why should voters choose you over the other candidates in this race? What makes you stand out?

“I've served as the longest-serving speaker in state history. I understand the Legislature. I've created jobs here. I've made a payroll every two weeks since I was 24 and I have a unique appreciation for the district. Obviously, I live in the northern tip of it, but I've lived in Lincoln, my wife's from Columbus, and my grandparents are from Fremont. You know, I understand Seward and Cass and Sarpy Counties and I really feel like I could do a good job representing everyone in the United States Congress.”

If elected, what would be your top policy priority and how would you approach getting it done?

“No one can predict exactly what the top issue will be once you're elected, but obviously, inflation is what Nebraskans are talking to me about. You feel it at the gas pump, you feel it in the grocery store. We've got to slow down government spending. We have to make sure that we're creating jobs and opportunities but focus on where people are hurting- energy right now. Energy prices (are) hurting a lot of small families and large families and small businesses. I would focus my attention there.”

Considering agriculture’s outsized contribution to Nebraska’s economy, what policy would you pursue to advance agricultural interest and develop rural communities?

“There's really three things I'm focused on there: One is we need to keep the Step Up In Basis in the federal estate tax law. It is one of the mechanisms in our federal law that allows family farmers to pass the farm down through the generations, and there are members of Congress that want to do away with it. Second, I believe that our crop insurance program is one of the best programs to abate the risk that farmers and ranchers take. Nobody can predict the weather. The crop insurance program, I've heard a lot about it from producers in the first congressional district. And then number three, I have a record in my hometown of Norfolk, working very hard to repopulate these small counties by using scholarships to Wayne State College and other four-year and two-year universities and then connecting those students directly with jobs while they are still going to school. So that we have a fighting chance to keep them before they graduate and move away.”

Do you have any disagreements with your party on prominent issues?

“You know, one of the benefits of being in this race and hearing from so many different Republicans is I hear the same things. Members of my party want the border to be secure. They want the federal government to get out of the lives of Americans with vaccine mandates. They want to see the federal government allow people to keep more money that they earn. So no, I don't have a lot of specific disagreements with my party."

Why should voters of the opposite party vote for you? If you had to appeal to them to win, what would be your message?

“I have had three elections since I was 29, for the Legislature in Madison County, and I haven't had an opponent because I take care of my constituents. I'm responsive, I have the energy and an interest in being a good legislator, which means you listen to everybody. And you can't find solutions unless you're listening. And I guess I would say to members of the Democratic Party, you have to know that I'm a very hard worker, and I take it very seriously. I'm always looking for solutions.”


John Glen Weaver

1st District Republican Congressional Candidate John Glen Weaver smiles wearing a blue suit, white shirt and red tie amid a dark background.
1st Distrct Congressional Candidate John Glen Weaver (Photo courtesy of John Glen Weaver for U.S. Congress)

Party: Republican

Age: 46

Occupations: Lt. Colonel (Retired)

Why should voters choose you over the other candidates in this race? What makes you stand out?

“I retired from the Air Force two months ago. I'm a political outsider. I'm not a career politician. I work for the people and if somebody wants their elected leaders to work directly for them, that's not beholden to anybody, that has zero political experience, but has a lot of experience in the military, a lot of experience in war fighting for people, then I’m the right candidate for them.”

If elected, what would be your top policy priority and how would you approach getting it done?

“My first top priority would be building the wall, securing our border to stop illegal immigration and drug flow into Nebraska that I believe is killing a lot of our youth through the fentanyl drugs. Securing the border would be number one. Number two, lowering inflation, and the best way to do that, I believe is just to stop the wasteful government spending, i.e COVID Relief packages. the economy's going great. We don't need any more government stimulus packages. People have jobs now, so I would end the stimulus packages, which I believe as an economist, I have a master's in economics, excessive government spending caused this inflation and nobody can compete with government spending.”

Considering agriculture’s outsized contribution to Nebraska’s economy, what policy would you pursue to advance agricultural interest and develop rural communities?

“I grew up on a farm myself, I studied agriculture, I majored in animal science, grew up on a farm. So the first thing I would do is increase export opportunities around the world and open up markets to Africa and the Middle East to Nebraska farmers. I spent several months if not years, in the Middle East and deployed around the world. And nobody can serve a steak like you get in Nebraska and I know many Middle Eastern countries that would love to import Nebraska meat. So I'd open up trade markets to Africa and the Middle East for ag export for Nebraska.”

Do you have any disagreements with your party on prominent issues?

“Generally speaking, no. I would be probably be more of a fighter, be more of an advocate like a Jim Jordan or Trey Gowdy. I'd be a little bit more boisterous for the people of Nebraska. I'm not one of those guys that sits along the sides and watch things happen. I fought for my country and multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, so I'm a fighter for the people and their cause. So I'd probably be a little bit more boisterous than some of the candidates running in the race right now are.”

Why should voters of the opposite party vote for you? If you had to appeal to them to win, what would be your message?

“I'm a military leader. When you elect me to Congress, I'm going to fight for everybody in the first congressional district. I'm sure there's areas within some moderate Democrats that would identify with who I am and what I am. I've been fighting for my country for 22 years, I'm almost certain that I've led their sons and daughters or relatives in wartime. So I look out for everybody. When I'm serving people, we might not see eye to eye on the issues, but I'm there to continue to fight for them in Congress”.