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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 1996)
Bereuter defeats Combs, wins 10th consecutive term By Erin Schulte Senior Reporter Evelyn and Rupert Bereuter pieced together homemade signs, drove hundreds of miles around Nebraska to put them up and helped their son, Doug Bereuter, become the 1st District Representative in the U.S House. That was 18 years ago. Tuesday night, they stood by quietly and smiled. Their days of making signs were over, but they realized it had paid off. Doug Bereuter, 57, was elected to his 10th successive term in Congress Tuesday, with un official results giving him 69 percent of the vote against his Democratic challenger Patrick Combs, a Lincoln native. Combs, radio talk-show host and promotions director for Warner Enterprises, also tan against Bereuter in the 1994 election. Bereuter’s parents, who are retired and live in the representative’s hometown of Utica, said they were never involved in politics, but the job fit their son’s altruistic nature. “When he was younger, bis.mom asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up,” Rupert Bereuter said. “He said, ‘Well, I want to do something for people.’ I guess thus is it.” About 250 people rallied around the Bereuters Tuesday at the Villager Motor Inn, 52nd and O streets. In his victory speech, Bereuter thanked the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College Repub licans for all their volunteer work. Brian Buescher, a UNL senior and member of the College Republicans, jockeyed for a bet ter position at the television to watch election results and praised Bereuter’s attempts to get to know UNL students. Bereuter received his undergraduate degree in geography from UNL and later earned two master’s degrees from Harvard University. Bereuter outlined four goals for his next term in Congress Tuesday. Deficit spending should be eliminated in six years, he said, to reach a balanced budget. If Congress is once again controlled by the Re publicans, he said, this goal will come to frui tion. Bereuter’s other goals were immigration re form, campaign-finance reform and making health care and health-care insurance more ac cessible. Matt Miller/DN UNL SENIOR DOUG Brauer, left, poses with U.S. Representative Doug Bereuter and senior Rebecca Hannagan while senior Chad Pekron takes their picture at Bereuter’s victory party Tuesday night. Combs suffers second defeat; says system flaws spoil race By Stack Range Staff Reporter Patrick Combs could not change history Tuesday in his attempt to become the first Demo crat in 30 years to win Nebraska’s 1st District seat of the U.S. House of Representatives. Combs, 31, suffered his second-straight loss to nine-term incumbent Doug Bereuter. “Tliis election tells a lot about the future,” Combs said in his concession speech less than an hour after the polls closed. “But it is certain that the future is not completely about this elec tion. “We still have a long way to go, and a fight to fight.” This year’s fight was only slightly better than in 1994, when Combs lost by a 47,000-vote margin. The unofficial tally early this morning had Combs taking 29.1 percent of the vote to Bereuter’s 70.9 percent. At a joint Democratic reception at the Ramada Inn, 141 N. Ninth St., Combs told a crowd of about 250 people that he blamed an imperfect campaign system and lopsided financ ing for his loss. “It was a clean race and a race cm the issues, and it clearly identified what was wrong with the system,” the defeated candidate said. “It certainly identifies the unbelievable ad « I’ve been bit by that dog twice now, so we’ll have to wait and see.” Patrick Combs Democratic challenger for U.S. House 1st District vantages allowed to the incumbents. But sim ply because I was out-spent shouldn’t deter me from taking my message out.” Many of Combs’ supporters said they wanted him to run again in 1998, but hoped it would not be against Bereuter. Brice Sullivan, a junior advertising major at UNL, said he hasn’t given up on Combs but admitted Bereuter was a tough opponent. “It’s fine by me if he keeps running against Bereuter until Bereuter steps down,” Sullivan said. “When he does step down, Combs has a shot.” Combs refused to announce a third bid Tues day night, but he said he was not ruling it out. “I’ve been bit by that dog twice now, so we’ll have to wait and see.” O Brien maintains regent seat Incumbent says dean campaigning helped in victory over Sigerson By Erin Schulte Senior Reporter NU Regent Nancy O’Brien credited a clean campaign to sweep her into a second six-year term on the university governing board. Unoffical re sults late Tues day night showed O’Brien -’winning 60 per Icent of the vote against opponent |A n d r e w Sigerson’s 40 percent for the | f fMWsrictseat O’Brien feu the University fof Nebraska Board of Regents. * V . ' f , ' '■ Sigerson, 25, is an Omaha attorney, as well as a former ASUN president and student regent. O’Brien, 45, of Waterloo, said she further ahead of Sigerson than she said. “I’m looking forward to six more years, and we’re going to get a lot more done at the university.” O’Brien said she would start her term by meeting with chancellors to figure out how to recruit and retain good students as well as keeping cen ters of academic quali puses. “We ~taA about 1 do,” she spent sl th at -' _-fa*- - —. a Water- Wilson loo pizza hang out, and later went to U.S. Senate-seat f J. V • i. --- * ■:«» •* • Mahni Speck/DN PATRICK COMBS calls Doug Bereuter to congratulate the incumbent on winning his 10th term in office. winner Chuck Hagel’s victory party. Sigerscn was not able to be reached Tuesday night for comment. NU Regent Charles Wilson of Lin coln also was re-elected. Wilson, 57, ran unopposed for the 1st District seat. Wilson, who spent election night at U.S. Rep. Doug Bereuter’s campaign reception at Lincoln’s Villager Motor Inn on 52nd and O streets, said he hoped the board could remain as co hesive as it had during his last term in office. The board accomplished a lot of “positive things” during the last six years, Wilson said. More open meet ings, a stronger core curriculum, gen der equity and the strong university president model were important ac complishments oh which the board could build, he said. : Wilson also said his fellow victor was a valuable member of the board. “(O’Brien) deseryed to be re elected.” %