Sarah Palin endorses Ben Sasse in Nebraska GOP primary

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, endorsed Ben Sasse for U.S. Senate in Nebraska.

“Ben Sasse is the clear conservative choice in the Nebraska Senate race,” Mr. Palin posted Thursday on Facebook, pointing out that Mr. Sasse’s wife is a fellow “hockey mom” to their two daughters. “They’ll be able to remind their papa to ’Fight like a girl!’ in defense of We the People.”

Mr. Sasse, the present of Midland University, is running against former State Treasurer Shane Osburn, Pinnacle Bank Chairman Sid Dinsdale and Omaha attorney Bart McLeay.

Polls have shown that Mr. Sasse, a former George W. Bush administration official, and Mr. Osburn are running neck-and-neck.
Mr. Sasse also has the support of GOP Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, as well as Rep. Paul Ryan, the party’s 2012 vice presidential nominee.

Mr. Osburn has received the support of Phyllis Schlafly, the head of the socially conservative Eagle Forum.

The Palin endorsement could give Mr. Sasse a shot of momentum, as she remains a favorite of grassroots conservatives, as evidenced by the hero’s welcome she received last week at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

In her post on Thursday, Mrs. Palin called Mr. Sasse a “proven problem solver” and said he “knows how dysfunctional D.C. is.”

“Ben is a leader we need in D.C. now,” she said. “He won’t forget who sent him there because his life is firmly grounded in his small town Nebraska roots. His family goes to a church where his great-great grandpa carved the altarpiece that is still there today. Ben has his cornhusker common sense and his lovely wife Melissa and their three kids to remind him of what’s important.”