Deb Fischer | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Ranking Member of theSenate Rules Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2023 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Roy Blunt |
| Succeeded by | Alex Padilla |
| United States Senator fromNebraska | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 Serving with Pete Ricketts | |
| Preceded by | Ben Nelson |
| Member of theNebraska Legislature from the 43rd district | |
| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Jones |
| Succeeded by | Al Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Debra Lynelle Strobel (1951-03-01)March 1, 1951 (age 74) Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Nebraska–Lincoln (BS) |
| Website | Senate website Campaign website |
Debra Lynelle Fischer (née Strobel; born March 1, 1951)[1] is an American politician serving as theseniorUnited States senator fromNebraska, a seat she has held since 2013. A member of theRepublican Party, Fischer served in theNebraska Legislature from 2005 to 2013 and on the Valentine Rural High School Board of Education from 1990 to 2004. She is the third woman to represent Nebraska in the U.S. Senate (afterEva Bowring andHazel Abel) and the first to be reelected.
Fischer was first elected to the Senate in2012, defeating formerDemocratic U.S. SenatorBob Kerrey after an upset victory against state attorney generalJon Bruning in the Republican primary. She was reelected in2018 and2024.
Fischer was born Debra Lynelle Strobel on March 1, 1951, inLincoln, Nebraska. She is the daughter of Florence M. (née Bock) and Gerold Carl Strobel.[2][3] Her father was the State Engineer/Director of the Nebraska Department of Roads under GovernorsKay Orr andBen Nelson and her mother was an elementary school teacher with Lincoln Public Schools.[2]
In 1972, Strobel married Bruce Fischer, a man fromValentine, Nebraska, she met at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.[2][3] She and her husband raised three sons on the Fischer family cattle ranch south of Valentine.[2][3] In 1987, she returned to the university and completed herBachelor of Science degree ineducation.[3]
In 1990, Fischer was elected to the Valentine Rural High School Board of Education, serving until 2004. GovernorMike Johanns appointed Fischer as a Commissioner to the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Post-Secondary Education from 2000 to 2004.[4]
In 2004, Fischer ran for the Nebraska Legislature from the 43rd legislative district in the state'sSandhills region. In the nonpartisan primary, she came in second in a field of seven, receiving 2,226 votes (25.1%); front-runner Kevin T. Cooksley received 2,264 votes (25.5%). In the general election, she defeated Cooksley with 8,178 votes to his 8,050, a margin of 50.4%–49.6%.[5]
In 2008, she won reelection unopposed.[6] Nebraska's term-limits law precluded her running for reelection in 2012.[7]
Tenure
Fischer's district was geographically the largest in theNebraska Legislature, comprising 12 counties and part of a 13th.[8] During her tenure in the legislature, she did a weekly radio show on seven stations covering her district, and wrote a weekly column printed in several newspapers.[9]
In 2007, Fischer helped lead a filibuster against a bill to create a statewide smoking ban for indoor workplaces and public places. Commonly known as the Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act, the bill passed and was signed into law in 2008.[10]
In 2009, Fischer was one of 14 co-sponsors of L.B. 675, which required abortion providers to display ultrasound images of the fetus at least one hour before performing abortions, in a position where the abortion seeker could easily view them. A spokesman for theNational Right to Life Committee said the law was stronger than those of other states, which required only that the client be asked whether she wanted to see an ultrasound image. The measure passed by a 40–5 vote, and was signed into law by GovernorDave Heineman.[11]
Fischer chaired the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee[12] and helped pass the BUILD Nebraska Act through the Unicameral. This bill prioritized a quarter cent of the state sales tax for infrastructure projects.[13]
In January 2012, after incumbent SenatorBen Nelson announced his retirement, Fischer announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate.[14] The Republican primary campaign was expected to be a battle between Attorney GeneralJon Bruning and State TreasurerDon Stenberg; Fischer and three less well-known candidates were also on the ballot.[15][16]
During the campaign, environmentalists and others criticized Fischer because her family's ranch near Valentine grazed cattle on federal land, leasing it for about $110,000 per year less than the market rate on private land. Opponents of federal grazing leases argued that she should relinquish her family's permit if she wanted to remain "morally consistent" with her message of less government. Fischer argued that the poor quality of federal lands and the restrictions that come with federal leases make it inappropriate to compare them to private leases.[17]
During the campaign, Fischer was outspent by Bruning, who raised $3.6 million, and Stenberg, who spent $865,000. Fischer's campaign raised only $440,000. But Bruning and Stenberg spent much of their resources attacking one another; Fischer benefited from the damage that each did to the other's reputation. She was also aided by $725,000 in TV ads that theClub for Growth bought attacking Bruning. Shortly before the election, she was endorsed by Nebraska U.S. RepresentativeJeff Fortenberry and by 2008 vice-presidential nomineeSarah Palin, who recordedrobocalls endorsing her; and asuper PAC financed by former Omaha businessmanJoe Ricketts paid for $250,000 worth of TV ads promoting Fischer and opposing Bruning.[15][18]
Fischer won the primary with 40% of the vote to Bruning's 35% and Stenberg's 18%. She took a plurality of votes in 75 of Nebraska's 93 counties. Bruning won 15 counties andSchuyler businessman Pat Flynn received a plurality in his homeColfax County. Fischer and Bruning tied inKimball andSioux counties.[16][19]
In the general election, Fischer faced Democratic nomineeBob Kerrey, a former Nebraska governor and U.S. senator who was running for the seat he had held from 1989 to 2001.
During the campaign, Kerrey ran ads accusing Fischer of unprincipled conduct in the matter of a 1995adverse possession suit, whereby the Fischers had attempted to obtain title to 104 acres (42 ha) of land adjoining their property.[20] Fischer maintained that their intent in filing the suit was to obtain a more manageable boundary for their ranch after repeated attempts to purchase the land had failed; according to anOmaha World-Herald analysis, the Kerrey campaign's statements about Fischer's actions in the Legislature failed to mention her support for a compromise measure that would have allowed NGPC to buy the land.[21] A Fischer spokesman accused Kerrey of "reckless disregard for the truth" and "gutter politics" in the matter.[20]
Fischer defeated Kerrey, 455,593 votes (58%) to 332,979 (42%). She won mainly by swamping Kerrey in the state's rural areas. She won 88 of Nebraska's 93 counties. Kerrey won onlyDouglas,Lancaster,Saline,Thurston, andDakota Counties.[22]
Fischer was reelected to the Senate in 2018, defeating Democratic nomineeJane Raybould by a significant margin.[23]
Fischer ran for reelection in 2024.[24] She defeated Arron Kowalski in the Republican primary election in May. She faced independent candidateDan Osborn, a former union leader, in the November general election.[25] Fischer defeated Osborn by 6.7 points, after being reelected by 19 points in 2018.[26]
Fischer became the third female U.S. senator in Nebraska's history, and the first since 1954.[27][28] She was the first elected to a full term: of the earlier woman senators,Eva Bowring was appointed in 1954 to occupy the seat vacated byDwight Griswold's death until a special election could be held to replace him later that year;[29]Hazel Abel won that special election to finish Griswold's term, but did not seek a full term.[30]
Fischer supports a nationalabortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest.[33] She supported the2022 overturning ofRoe v. Wade.[34]
Fischer rejectsconclusions by the international scientific community that human emissions of greenhouse gases are the primary cause ofglobal warming in recent decades. In May 2015, a legislative aide said, "the senator acknowledges the climate is changing but believes it is due to natural cycles."[35][36]
Fischer has advocated modernizing the U.S.nuclear triad and increasing defense spending to deterChina,Iran, andRussia.[37] She has sometimes opposed efforts to scale back U.S. military authorities; in 2023, she was one of 30 senators to vote against repealing the2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq.[38]
In 2022, Fischer voted to ratify theaccession of Finland and Sweden intoNATO, joining the near-unanimous Senate approval of their membership.[39] In 2023, she backed a bipartisan amendment (to the2024 defense authorization act)—adopted 65–28—that requires the President to obtain congressional consent beforewithdrawing the United States from NATO.[40] In August 2025, Fischer joined Armed Services Committee chairpersonRoger Wicker on a visit to Taiwan, where she condemned the Chinese government's attempts to "threaten, to pressure, and [to] isolate Taiwan". During that trip, she affirmed U.S. support for Taiwan's self-determination and security amid risingtensions with China.[41] Fischer has promoted measures to strengthen U.S. military readiness in theIndo-Pacific, such as expanding ammunition stockpiles and capabilities to counter China's growing influence.[37]
After the2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, Fischer said any legislative proposals to restrict people on the terrorist watchlist from buying guns would not stop mass shootings. She said that preventing self-radicalization was more important than restricting gun access.[42]
Fischer supports repealing theAffordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and has voted accordingly.[43][44][45]
In June 2020, Fischer expressed support for the Supreme Court decision inBostock v. Clayton County that "extended Civil Rights Act protections to gay, lesbian and transgender workers", saying, "It's important that we recognize that all Americans have equal rights under our Constitution. I'm fine with it."[46] She voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which protects same-sex marriage.[47]
Before the January 6, 2021,United States Electoral College vote count, Fischer announced that she would vote to certify the election results.[48] She was on Capitol Hill to participate in the count whenDonald Trump supportersstormed the U.S. Capitol. During the attack, Fischer tweeted: "These rioters have no constitutional right to harm law enforcement and storm our Capitol. We are a nation of laws, not some banana republic. This must end now."[49]
On May 28, 2021, Fischer voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the2021 United States Capitol attack.[50] In January 2024, she endorsed Trump's 2024 presidential election campaign.[51]
Fischer was among the 31 Senate Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.[52]
Fischer is married to Bruce Fischer.[53] They operate a family ranch, Sunny Slope Ranch, near Valentine, Nebraska. Their children own most of the stock in the family corporation, while the elder Fischers retain a minority share. In 2020, Fischer and her husband moved to Lincoln, Nebraska.[54]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Deb Fischer | 79,941 | 41.0 | |
| Republican | Jon Bruning | 70,067 | 35.9 | |
| Republican | Don Stenberg | 36,727 | 18.8 | |
| Republican | Pat Flynn | 5,413 | 2.8 | |
| Republican | Spencer Zimmerman | 1,601 | 0.8 | |
| Republican | Sharyn Elander | 1,294 | 0.7 | |
| Total votes | 195,043 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Deb Fischer | 455,593 | 57.77% | +21.65% | |
| Democratic | Bob Kerrey | 332,979 | 42.23% | −21.65% | |
| Total votes | 788,572 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Deb Fischer (incumbent) | 128,157 | 75.79% | |
| Republican | Todd F. Watson | 19,661 | 11.63% | |
| Republican | Jack Heidel | 9,413 | 5.57% | |
| Republican | Jeffrey Lynn Stein | 6,380 | 3.77% | |
| Republican | Dennis Frank Macek | 5,483 | 3.24% | |
| Total votes | 169,094 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Deb Fischer (incumbent) | 403,151 | 57.69% | −0.08% | |
| Democratic | Jane Raybould | 269,917 | 38.62% | −3.61% | |
| Libertarian | Jim Schultz | 25,349 | 3.63% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 466 | 0.07% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 698,883 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Deb Fischer (incumbent) | 499,124 | 53.19% | −4.50% | |
| Independent | Dan Osborn | 436,493 | 46.52% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 2,719 | 0.29% | +0.22% | ||
| Total votes | 938,336 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromNebraska (Class 1) 2012,2018,2024 | Most recent |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Nebraska 2013–present Served alongside:Mike Johanns,Ben Sasse,Pete Ricketts | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Rules Committee 2023–2025 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 44th | Succeeded by |
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| Class 1 | | |
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| Class 2 | ||
| People | |
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| Other | |
