Lt. Gov. Mike Foley was the speaker for the Business and Professional People for Life luncheon at the Garden Cafe this week. Foley, who has been a strong pro-life leader for many years, touched on several topics relating to abortion, including the upcoming Supreme Court case that may overturn Roe v. Wade. He specifically recognized three pro-life legislators for their efforts — Julie Slama, who has introduced a heartbeat bill, Suzanne Geist, who has introduced a bill banning chemical abortions, and Speaker Mike Hilgers. “He [Hilgers] has prioritized senator Albrecht’s bill, which is what they call the ‘trigger bill,’ LB 933,” said Foley. “It says that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, BOOM, the state of Nebraska will enact statues in this bill that will flat-out ban abortion.”
There was a brief Q&A session at the end of Foley’s talk. One constituent asked about the Jeff Fortenberry’s primary challenger, Mike Flood, for his seat in District 1. “I think what’s happening to Jeff is one of the most unseemly things I’ve ever witnessed in politics,” said Foley. “He got caught up in this FBI sting operation. I think they set him up. Now they’re going to take him to court, and it’ll cost him $1 million to defend himself. And I think it’s just horrible I see so many of his friends walking away from him. He had a rally last Saturday, and I spoke at his rally and I said, ‘Jeff, we’re not walking away. We’re with you on this.'”
The last question for Foley was about his future plans, specifically as term limits bring Gov. Ricketts time in office to an end. Foley said he had no plans to run for Governor because, “it takes an extraordinary amount of money, and I’m not a fundraising guy. Last time I raised $600k … and Pillen and Herbster are going to spend $5-10 million each in their races.”
Foley currently hopes to continue his position as Lt. Governor. “I’m hoping to be picked. I don’t know if I will, but I’m also running for State Auditor. If I win the primary for state auditor, I can decline that nomination, and the party can fill that vacancy.”
As for the current governor, Foley said, “He’s younger than I am. He loves politics, so I think you’ll see his name on a ballot again someday for something.”
