Rancher and pastor Tony Tangwall of Whitney is holding the kickoff for his campaign for the 43rd District State Senate seat of term-limited Tom Brewer of Gordon on Saturday at 10:00 at the Best Western In Chadron.
Brewer and the Panhandle’s other term-limited senator, the 47th District’sSteve Erdman of Bayard, will both be on hand to give their endorsements and support..
Tangwall filed for the seat well over a week ago, but hasn’t officially announced yet that he’s running.
The only other candidate to file so far is former Cherry County Commissioner Tanya Storer, who picked up 42% of the vote in challenging Brewer 4 years ago.
Ahead of Saturday’s kickoff, Brewer says Tangwall has his full support and that “when the people get to know him like I do, they will quickly see he is the best choice,” adding that Tangwall “understands and lives our western Nebraska values.”
The race between Storer and Tangwall is a reflection of last year’s battle for control of the Nebraska Republican Party.
Erdman and Brewer supported the populist, Donald Trump-backed wing that ousted the long-standing party leadership backed by U-S Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts and Congressman Mike Flood, who have all endorsed Storer.