FAQ’s

No, we are not associated with any part or any other campaign. Nebraska’s 3rd District is a rural district with unique needs, and we are focused on how I could best meet those needs. I have a Democratic opponent as well as a Republican opponent. I believe the two-party system has failed rural Nebraskans. It divides and distracts us while nothing gets done to help Nebraskans. I am not associated with either party or with any other campaign. I want to give 3rd District residents a chance to reject both parties and send a true independent to Washington. When I go to Washington, I won’t answer to Mike Johnson or Hakeem Jeffries - I will answer to you.

This question assumes that one of the two major parties wins a majority of seats in the House. That is probable, but not certain. There are several highly credible independents running for House seats across America, and a handful of successful independent candidates might be sufficient to deny either of the two parties a majority.

Assuming one of the two major parties wins a majority in the House, I will not caucus with either party. When Nebraska Sen. George Norris won a senate seat as an independent, he did not caucus with either party. I will honor the fact that Nebraskans sent me to the House as an independent, and I won’t be beholden to any party or party leader. It’s likely that the next House of Representatives will be closely divided, and remaining truly independent is how I can best represent rural Nebraskans.

And, no, I’m not worried that refusing to caucus with either party will prevent me from getting a desirable committee assignment. In a closely divided House of Representatives, it would be unwise for either party to alienate or ignore an independent. I’m not just going to Washington to serve on a committee – I’m going to be a powerful voice for rural Nebraskans. Regardless of committee assignments, no party leader can stop me from introducing legislation, voting on a bill, speaking to other representatives, or speaking to the press to hold the feet of both parties to the fire.

I first came to Nebraska as an Air Force officer in 1983. I served four years on active duty at Offutt AFB from 1983 to 1987, and for part of that time also served as a Special Asst. U.S. Attorney. I stayed in Omaha and practiced law for eight more years after leaving active duty. I practiced law during the farm crisis of the late 1980’s.

I first saw the Sandhills in 1984 while driving from Offutt to Montana to go fishing with a buddy, and I fell in love with the Sandhills.

In 1986, Governor Kerrey honored me as an Admiral in the Nebraska Navy. I have been a Nebraska Admiral for forty years.

I attended the First Unitarian Church of Omaha from 1983 to 1995. I was also a member of an Omaha Toastmasters club in during those twelve years, and I was a finalist in several state speech contests.

I took graduate classes in philosophy and logic at UNL during the 1992-1993 school year, commuting from Omaha while also practicing law.

I left Nebraska in 1995 and moved to the mountains, where my then wife and I adopted three children. We lived 8,300 feet above sea level. Mountain lions and bears were frequent visitors to our home. There were all sorts of characters living in the national forests that surrounded our community. So, nearly everyone owned firearms, and it was not a political issue.

In 1996, my article about the Nebraska National Forest was the cover story in an issue of Camping & RV magazine.

I wrote two mysteries published by a subsidiary of Time-Warner. My first mystery, The Fractal Murders, was a Book Sense mystery pick, and part of the story takes place in Nebraska.

I took a year off in 2013-2014 to teach at the University of Arkansas School of Law, and during that time I also earned an advanced degree (LL.M.) in agricultural law.

I bought my Lemoyne home in 2020 as a second home, thinking that might retire in the Sandhills someday. But then Covid hit. I loved my home in Lemoyne and began spending more time here. I began teaching karate in Ogallala in February of 2024 so I could give something back.

My significant other for the past seven years, Nurse Sheri, is from Crete, Nebraska. She was the Nebraska State Pork Queen.

One final comment. About 1/3 of those living in Nebraska right now were not born in Nebraska. I chose “We’re smarter than they think” as my tagline because I believe that. Most Nebraskans don’t care where I was born. They would rather have a representative like me who chose to make Nebraska his home and will represent them than one who was born here by dumb luck and represents the Epstein class.

If the fact that I was not born in Nebraska is the best argument Adrian Smith and his defenders have, he should probably start clearing out his office.

We will win.

The two parties and their tech billionaire supporters want you to believe an independent rural populist like me can’t win. It’s a psyop intended to make you give up before the election season even begins. They want you to believe you have only two choices and no real power. Don’t fall for it.

Adrian Smith is more vulnerable than ever. 35% of the voters in his party’s primary voted for someone other than him. The number of voters who identify as independents is at a record high. People are done with the 2-party system.

We are building a coalition of Reagan / McCain Republicans who don’t recognize their own party. Moderate Democrats tired of coastal party leaders who ignore rural areas. Independents and folks who have just given up.

Nebraskans are smart and independent. They are ready to lead America by declaring independence from business as usual. Cassius Clay (later Ali) was an 8:1 underdog when he beat heavyweight champ Sonny Liston. Together we can take our country back and send a message to both parties that it’s time to stop the nonsense and start working for average Americans.

No. No large corporation will offer me money because I won’t be beholden to anyone. I don’t take money from AIPAC or similar groups either. Although I support unions and have received contributions from union members, I don’t take union PAC money either. Independent means not beholden to any person or organization. We depend entirely on contributions from people like you.

No. I was asked to consider running as a Democrat and as a Republican. I chose to run as an independent because I don’t want to have to answer to any party bosses or to the big money interests. And running as an independent offers the best way to try to heal the hateful divide that most Nebraskans never wanted in the first place.

There is no such thing as “class warfare.” It’s another simplistic term the Epstein class (and the politicians they installed) coined to dumb us down and distract us. Most of them never served in military, much less in an actual war. The politicians and pundits who use that term never tell us how many “classes” there are or what income levels separate each “class.”

One reason our campaign is unique is that I am emphasizing how others misuse language to manipulate us. Taking a position on tax policy does not constitute “warfare.” War involves weapons and death; tax policy does not. They think Nebraskans are not smart enough to understand the difference. I say we are.

I advocate returning to a more progressive tax structure like the tax structure America had under President Eisenhower - a Republican who knew something about  “warfare.” That policy had bipartisan support for decades. It build the Interstate Highway System and a strong middle class.

But if the dividing line for the billionaires screaming “class warfare” is between those with total income exceeding one billion dollars annually and those below that level, I will proudly lead that “class warfare” if that’s what they want to call a tax policy discussion. Because a nation where the highest paid CEO earns in hours what a minimum worker earns in years is not “One nation under God.”

I don’t like simplistic labels such as “liberal” and “conservative.” That kind of black and white thinking is a trick the billionaires and their politicians use to divide and distract us. Trying to describe a person’s views on a multitude of issues using a single word is absurd. Nebraskans know this. That’s why I chose, “We’re smarter than they think” as my campaign slogan.

The first problem with trying to use a single word to describe a person’s political views is that people can have “liberal” views on some issues and “conservative” views on others. The second problem with it is that the meaning of those terms changes over time.

I did not say I was the most conservative candidate in the race; I said today’s Republican leaders are not true conservatives

• True conservatives want a balanced budget. Today’s GOP just saddled our children with four trillion dollars in additional debt in the Big Bag of Gifts to Billionaires.

• True conservatives do not appease America’s enemies. President Reagan told Soviet leader Gorbachev to, “Tear down that wall.” Today’s Republican leaders claim to be “tough on defense,” but sit quietly while this administration appeases Russia and turns a blind eye to our allies. They ignore Russian interference in our elections. They remain silent while this administration engages in political theater by sending the National Guard to Portland and does nothing about the fact that China now has the largest maritime fighting force.

• True conservatives believe in limited government. Today’s Republican party – which is not the true Republican party – supports big government and opposes states’ rights. They want the federal government to decide what schools can teach and who can marry. The same Republican politicians who once proclaimed their support for states’ rights now want the federal government to take a larger role in criminal justice, voting laws, and environmental policies. What they really believe in is “Fair weather federalism.”

Nebraskans are independent by nature and few care about my religious or spiritual beliefs. They care about the agricultural economy, rural and small-town life, and healthcare. That said, my father was Jewish and my mother was Baptist. They grounded me to seek my own path, and today I consider myself Unitarian, though I don’t believe a single word can ever describe any person or their beliefs.

I am not running against anyone. I am running for America, my neighbors in Lemoyne, my fellow rural Nebraskans, and my three children. Because I believe in what America is supposed to stand for – freedom, equality, democracy, free speech, freedom of religion, reasoned discourse, community, honesty, science, standing up to foreign aggression, taking care of our troops and vets, and the rule of law.

Yes, but I was only repeating what Donald Trump, Jr. said on December 22, 2025. He said, “this isn’t the Republican Party anymore. It’s the America First Party. It’s the Make America Great Again Party.”

 He was partly correct. The party that stole the Republican label has no ideological relationship whatsoever to the party of Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43, or John McCain. And I won’t pretend it does.

I disagree with him on the other part of his statement. It’s the Billionaires First Party. You don’t make America great by adding four trillion dollars to the debt our children must repay, letting Putin walk all over you, doubling the cost of health insurance, and trampling on the Second Amendment.

Several reasons.

First, the tech billionaires that own the social media platforms don’t need more money.

Second, I don’t want the billionaires that own those platforms to have any more data about our campaign or supporters than is necessary.

Third, I don’t need to. Voters already know that fuel prices are up, fertilizer prices are up, and hospitals and clinics are closing. I don’t need to spend money to remind them of the many problems confronting us. We will win because Solomon and I are going to try to visit every town and city in this vast district.

I generally don’t sign pledges, although I did endorse the proposal to uncap the House of Representatives.

But there are several reasons I rarely sign pledges.

First, some of them are so vague as to be meaningless. For instance, “Do you pledge to support the environment?” I care about our planet and believe we should take care of it, but I won’t sign a blank check to any advocacy group.

Second, even if I agree with a legislative proposal, it might look very different by the time it gets to the floor of the House because of changes sought by lobbyists and approved by party bosses.

Third, as a true independent, I don’t want to answer to a party boss, but I also won’t be owned by any interest group. Independent means independent.

I have three adult children, and I am so proud of them. My partner is from Crete, Nebraska, and was once the Nebraska State Pork Queen. I’m proud of her, too. I have one brother, a fitness trainer. He fell 3,200 feet without a functioning parachute over Weeping Water, Nebraska in 1993, and later wrote a book about it called Gravity Works. I’m proud of him, too.