Candidates have rolled and crashed in the blink of a 30-second television ad. Four candidates, or potential candidates, have come and gone.
Then there was money. For the first time in Nebraska, out-of-state special interest groups are trying to influence a state race. In all, they've poured about $2 million into the governor's race, most of it on brutal, negative ads.
And there were surprises, including Attorney General Jon Bruning's eleventh-hour decision — on a February day — to jump into the race after other candidates had spent the better part of 2013 on the campaign trail.
And by all accounts, the race remains incredibly tight. A poll by Magellan Strategies on Thursday showed Bruning and Omaha businessman Pete Ricketts in a dead heat, with Ricketts at 25 percent and Bruning at 24 percent.
“It's going to be a barn burner,” Bruning said.
The six GOP candidates spent the weekend making a final push. The weekend also saw a flurry of last-minute television and radio ads.
