LINCOLN— Until last fall, U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry was expected to easily breeze to re-election in 2022 in his Republican-dominated district spanning eastern Nebraska.

Instead, he’ll be fighting for his political life this week in a federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.

Fortenberry, who has represented the 1st Congressional District since 2005, is charged with lying about, and then trying to conceal, his knowledge of $30,200 in illegal, “conduit” political campaign contributions.

Fortenberry’s trial begins Wednesday and is expected to continue through March 22. A campaign spokesman said it’s not certain that the 61-year-old congressman will testify in his own defense.

The outcome could be a decisive factor in whether the congressman is re-elected. He faces a formidable challenge in the May primary from State Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, who has picked up endorsements from Gov. Pete Ricketts and former Gov. Dave Heineman, who said they fear losing the safe GOP seat to a Democrat because of Fortenberry’s legal issues.

How much politics will creep into the trial of a politician from a deeply red state in a blue stronghold remains to be seen. Fortenberry’s attorneys attempted, unsuccessfully, to get the trial moved to Nebraska, a request prosecutors slammed as “venue shopping.”

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