Attention! Battle is on for military vote in Omaha House race

Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog

“That is such B.S.”

And that is GOP Congressman Lee Terry’s answer to charges that he’s let military veterans down.

Over the past several days the ins and outs of veterans issues have been front and center in Terry’s re-election fight with Democrat Brad Ashford.

Rep. Lee Terry

State Sen. Brad Ashford

Why? One big reason is Sarpy County.

Here’s a couple of key numbers:

In 2012 Terry lost Douglas County by 7,000 votes.

But by winning Sarpy County by 10,000 votes, Terry returned to Capitol Hill.

Sarpy County—rich with air force and army personnel, aka the military vote— has long been Terry’s political fire-wall and Ashford has to crack it to win.

So Ashford now says Terry has voted against veterans time and time again, specifically a 2005 vote cutting veterans health care programs and a 2010 vote opposing military pay raises.

Those votes were “silly side motions” put up by House Democrats, according to Terry.

In an interview with talk-radio’s Tom Becka, Terry said a true examination of his voting record proves he’s “100 percent with the veterans.”

Among his claims, Terry says he’s been leading the charge to build a new Omaha Veterans Hospital—by almost all accounts the current hospital is falling apart.

Ashford says its great Terry is pushing for a new hospital but wants to know why Omaha is 23rd on the government’s build-it list, behind Wichita, Kansas.

Terry blames that on the Veterans Administration but as late as Thursday he was “hopeful” a new law—Veterans’ Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014—signed by President Obama would keep promises made to veterans.

Terry calls it a “good first step” to, among other things, that new hospital.

Expect to hear more on this right up until Election Day.

After all 3,000 votes matter.

Contact Joe Jordan at joe@nebraskawatchdog.org.