By Suzanne Dougherty
Congressional Quarterly

Electoral votes: 5

Delegates: 30

Co-chairmen: Gov. Mike Johanns and Stephanie Johanns

Hotel: Four Points Philadelphia Airport (215) 492-0400

1996 Election:
Dole – 54%
Clinton – 35%
Perot – 11%

Sticking with the theme of uniting-to-win that is nearly a mantra this year for Republican activists, the Nebraska GOP appears to have avoided the ideological skirmishes that marked its run-up to the 1996 Republican National Convention.

At the 1996 Nebraska Republican convention, attendees were presented with two overlapping slates of delegates supporting Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole: an official slate made up largely of the party establishment and a conservative activist slate expressly pledged to oppose abortion. The activist slate was able to divert four delegate positions from the official one.

This year, according to state Republican Chairman Chuck Sigerson, the delegation is committed to electing Texas Gov. George W. Bush as president and is free of the tensions that characterized the state's contingent four years ago.

"We had vigorous debate on the abortion issue, but no rancor," said Sigerson, who is a delegate and a Nebraska representative to the convention platform committee. "The party emerged from the [state convention] stronger than ever and committed to electing Gov. Bush."

Bush was not Nebraska Republicans' only rooting interest in the weeks before the convention. Chuck Hagel, who has developed into an influential voice in his first term in the U.S. Senate, was mentioned as a possible vice-presidential choice for Bush - even though he was one of the most prominent supporters of Arizona Sen. John McCain's bid for the presidential nomination.

In fact, Nebraska Republicans included a resolution in their state platform encouraging Bush to consider Hagel as his running mate. "The excitement that we have about Hagel being considered for the vice presidential slot has added a lot of flavor to the delegation," said delegate Harold J. Daub Jr., the mayor of Omaha and a former U.S. representative.

Hagel is serving as the delegation's honorary chairman. Leading the delegation as co-chairmen are the state's governor and first lady, Mike and Stephanie Johanns. Also attending as delegates are U.S. Reps. Doug Bereuter and Lee Terry and former Gov. Charles Thone.

Jan Stoney, the 1992 Republican Senate challenger to Kerrey, will be a delegate and is serving on the platform committee with Sigerson.

Absent from the delegation is state Attorney General Don Stenberg, this year's Republican nominee for the Senate seat left open by retiring Democrat Bob Kerrey. Stenberg, trailing in polls behind the Democratic nominee, former Gov. Ben Nelson, will be campaigning in Nebraska for most of the convention, though he may put in an appearance in Philadelphia.

NEBRASKA NOTABLES: Gov. Mike Johanns and his wife, Stephanie, delegation co-chairmen; Reps. Doug Bereuter and Lee Terry; former Gov. Charles Thone; Omaha Mayor Harold J. Daub Jr.; 1992 Republican Senate nominee Jan Stoney.