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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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Agriculture Boss Leaving to Run for Senate

Critics quick to attack, question his timing

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(Newser) – US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns is resigning to run for the Nebraska senate seat that Rebublican Chuck Hagel will vacate at the end of 2008. Johanns' timing is less than perfect—he is leaving before Congress approves a new farm bill—something his campaign rivals will surely jump on, along with his refusal to provide Nebraska with drought relief and his support for President Bush's unpopular immigration policy.

While the Republican field for Hagel's Senate seat is crowded, no Democrats have yet announced their candidacy. Former Nebraska governor and two-term senator Bob Kerrey is expected to make a decision soon. 

US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns at a press conference.
US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns at a press conference.   (Getty Images)
  (KRT Photos)
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns speaks in Grand Island, Neb., Friday, Sept. 14, 2007. Johanns will resign his Cabinet post to run for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska, a state Republican official said Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Johanns was planning...
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns speaks in Grand Island, Neb., Friday, Sept. 14, 2007. Johanns will resign his Cabinet post to run for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska, a state Republican official...   (Associated Press)
US Sect. of Agriculture Mike Johanns, left, and Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., embrace at the dedication of the Mike and Stephanie Johanns Republican headquarters in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
US Sect. of Agriculture Mike Johanns, left, and Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., embrace at the dedication of the Mike and Stephanie Johanns Republican headquarters in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007....   (Associated Press)
Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., left, and former Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., take part in a press conference announcing plans for the construction of the Hagel-Kerrey Lodge, which will be part of a retreat for wounded warriors and their families, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007. (AP Photo/Charles...
Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., left, and former Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., take part in a press conference announcing plans for the construction of the Hagel-Kerrey Lodge, which will be part of a retreat for...   (Associated Press)
This file photo from Sept. 5, 2003, shows Bob Kerrey saluting at an event in Lincoln, Neb. The former Democratic senator and Nebraska governor and current president of New School University in New York has told trustees at the university that he is contemplating running for the Senate again if...
This file photo from Sept. 5, 2003, shows Bob Kerrey saluting at an event in Lincoln, Neb. The former Democratic senator and Nebraska governor and current president of New School University in New York...   (Associated Press)
US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns at a speech.
US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns at a speech.   (Associated Press)
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