OMAHA, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne, former Nebraska Cornhuskers football coach, says he was surprised people considered him a potential Senate candidate.
Osborne did not expect the selection of Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns to be the next agriculture secretary to spark rumors he would challenge Sen. Ben Nelson for his seat in 2006 now that Johanns appears out of the race, the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald said Tuesday.
Osborne said given the interest in whether he runs for Senate, he had revised the decision timetable he laid out late last week and will make an announcement by early January rather than mid-2005.
"I'm certainly not going to leave people dangling," said Osborne, who had previously made no secret of his interest in running to replace the term-limited Johanns as governor in 2006.
Osborne said he would talk with his wife, Nancy, GOP governor-to-be Dave Heineman, state GOP Chairman David Kramer and perhaps Nelson in the next several weeks about the Senate seat and the governor's race. Then around the end of the year or early next year, he said, he will announce his plans and discuss "maybe some things to rule out or say are still possible."
