LA VISTA — Former U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., typically waits until after Nebraska Democrats select a nominee before deciding whether to endorse a candidate for Congress.

But Nelson said Thursday he sees a “moment” for State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks headed into the state’s May 10 primary election and the June 28 special election in Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District.Nelson endorsed Pansing Brooks on Thursday during a news conference at the La Vista Conference Center. He said Democrats and all Nebraskans want someone who can do the work, and “she can.”

“I have been reluctant to endorse in primaries, and I haven’t given a lot of endorsements since I left the Senate,” said Nelson, who served in the Senate from 2001 to 2013. “This is a special situation with a special election.”

Eastern Nebraska has a rare open U.S. House seat, representing the district that encompasses Lincoln, Bellevue, Fremont, Norfolk and more. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry resigned March 31 after being convicted of three felonies.

The unusual situation of holding three elections for the same race in the same year means Pansing Brooks needs to motivate Democrats to vote all three times, Nelson said. She faces photographer Jazari Kual in the Democratic primary race and former Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood, a Republican, in the special election. The winners of the May 10 primary will advance to November’s general election.

The last time Nebraska had an open-seat race in the 1st District was 2004, when Fortenberry beat then-State Sen. Matt Connealy 54% to 43%. Fortenberry went on to serve nine terms.Nebraska’s last special election for the House was in 1951, according to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office. Third District Rep. Karl Stefan died Oct. 2, 1951, in Washington. Robert D. Harrison won a special election Dec. 4, 1951.

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