Senate races

Candidate: Move Capitol to Nebraska

A Republican Senate candidate in Nebraska is running a political ad calling for the Capitol to be moved to his home state.

Senate candidate Ben Sasse argues the U.S. Capitol should be moved to Nebraska to cure the dysfunction of Congress.

Sasse’s 30-second ad, which ran in Nebraska during the weekend’s NFL playoff games, begins with a semi-truck pulling the massive Capitol building behind it.

{mosads}“That is it,” Sasse says in the ad. “The way to cure the incredible ineffectiveness and dysfunction of both parties in Washington, we move the Capitol to Nebraska and leave the lobbyists and influence peddlers behind, so Congress can experience family, conservative values and living within a budget. We have to choose the strongest, most conservative Nebraska voice to send to Washington.”

Sasse is running in a contentious GOP primary for Nebraska’s open Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.). The winner of the Republican primary in the red state will be the front-runner in the general election as well.

Sasse has already picked up the endorsement of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and a number of outside groups, including the Senate Conservative Fund and the Club for Growth.

Another of his primary opponents, former State Treasurer Shane Osborn, has received the endorsement of FreedomWorks.

Sasse told The Washington Times the proposal was more of a “thought experiment” than an actual proposal.

“I think that they, Nebraska work-a-day folks, think that we’re on the precipice of national decline and they don’t think Washington gets it at all,” he told the newspaper.

The ad is cut from a larger 6-minute biographical video.

In Sasse’s longer biographical spot, he criticizes both parties for running up massive budget deficits. He also brands ObamaCare a “socialist mess” and hits Republicans for failing to offer a viable alternative.