David Else may be a novice in politics but he is no stranger to adversity.
The 62-year-old farmer and rancher from Overton, Nebraska, seeks on Nov. 8 to defeat U.S. Rep Adrian Smith, a Republican from Gering, who has served since 2007 in the Third District.
Else has overcome odds in his personal life. His dad died when he was 14, and his family was devastated by the 1980s farm crisis and had to liquidate the family dairy herd. David Else was able to retain 320 acres that he acquired from a family member and today he farms 1,600 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa with a beef cow-calf operation.
Else says he is a maverick but believes in working together to solve problems. He was a regular caller to Gov. Pete Ricketts’ radio show when the China trade deal began under former President Donald Trump. Else continued to call in on other matters related to farming and ranching and the rural way of life. The result—many listeners encouraged him to run.
Else liked his independent status but required 22,000 signatures to get on the Nov. 8 ballot. Ricketts, a Republican, encouraged Else to run as a Democrat.
In the primary election, Else became a surprise winner by defeating presumed favorite Daniel Wik.
Else tends to stress what he would try to accomplish rather than be critical of those with opposing views. One of his goals would be to join the House Agriculture Committee because of the makeup of the Nebraska’s Third District, which encompasses the western three-fourths of the state and is primarily rural and highly dependent on agriculture.
Americans need relief from inflation primarily driven by high fuel prices, which have particularly hit farmers and ranchers because they depend on heavily on diesel, Else said.
He believes Congress can take action to help reduce fuel prices by holding oil companies more accountable for their practices as he believes it is unacceptable for the industry to have record profits without taking action that could lower prices long term at the pump. He believes that building an oil refinery in South Dakota, as an example, makes more sense because of increased oil production in the Dakotas than trying to use the Keystone pipeline to take the crude to existing southern refineries. The United States has not built a new refinery since the 1970s.
Else also has had his wife in a coma and that experience is life changing. Through it all he remains a strong believer as a Christian and he believes that marriage is between a man and woman. He supports the right of gay men and women to be afforded civil protections. He remains pro-life position because he has a handicapped child who has brought his family much joy. Those issues are not traditional Democratic views but he says telling voters who he is and what he believes resonates with many constituents regardless of party affiliation.
“God has always pulled us through,” Else said.
He also knows the heartache people face when medical bills pile up and more reform needs to be done to help them so they do not lose everything, including hope so they can restart their lives.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
