Nebraska Stunner

We might already have witnessed the biggest upset of 2006: in Nebraska's GOP gubernatorial primary, Congressman Tom Osborne lost, 50%-44%, to interim governor Dave Heineman. The former Cornhuskers football coach had won election to the House with majorities upwards of 70 percent; when this race began, he was considered a shoo-in and state Republican leaders pressured Heineman to defer the contest. But, as it turned out, having a background against the electoral equivalents of the creampuff football schedule that Osborne used to feature at Nebraska didn't serve him well: Heineman ran a steady campaign, and Osborne struggled to find his footing as the race tightened.