LINCOLN- In her bid to usurp the long-held Republican 1st district, State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks must defy conventional wisdom that conservatives have a lock on the seat.

Pansing Brooks plans to show voters in the district, whether they're Republican or Democrat, that she is reasonable and open to compromise.

Despite this, Pansing Brooks has capitalized on the backlash provoked by the Supreme Court ruling that women don't have a constitutional right to abortion.

Should Pansing Brooks usurp the seat, she would be the first woman to ever represent the district. "We can, we will," said the Senator, pointing out the narrower-than-expected margin between her and Flood in the June special election.

Pansing Brooks finished about 5 percentage points behind Flood, showing that she very well may have a chance come November. The margin in June is the closest a Democrat has gotten to take the seat in more than a decade.

However, election analysts claim that her close victory in June was because of both low voter turnout and the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, which happened just days before the special election.

A Democrat hasn't held the seat since Clair Callan's single term in 1967, and the Cook Report doesn't include the district among the races where the general election outcome is in question.

Flood's campaign has pointed to the Cook Report as assurance that Republicans will keep the seat. "Congressman Flood doesn't take a single vote for granted," said Matthew L. Trail, a Flood campaign spokesman, "but we know the polling and we know the district. A Democrat, especially a liberal Democrat like Patty Pansing Brooks, is not competitive in a solidly red district like NE-01."

However, some believe that the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion may give Pansing Brooks the edge she needs to win the seat, but it will be a close race. Flood led efforts in the Legislature to restrict abortion access, and has said he doesn't believe there should be exceptions for rape and incest.

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