Deb Fischer
Debra Lynelle Fischer (née Strobel; born March 1, 1951) is an American politician and former educator serving as the senior United States senator from Nebraska, a seat she has held since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Fischer is the third woman to represent Nebraska in the U.S. Senate (after Eva Bowring and Hazel Abel) and the first to be reelected.
Deb Fischer | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2016 | |
| United States Senator from Nebraska | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 Serving with Pete Ricketts | |
| Preceded by | Ben Nelson |
| Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Roy Blunt |
| Member of the Nebraska 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 March 1, 1951 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Bruce Fischer (m. 1972) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Nebraska, Lincoln (BS) |
| Website | Senate website |
From 1990 to 2004, Fischer served on the Valentine Rural High School Board of Education. In 2004, she was elected to the Nebraska Legislature, representing the 43rd district for two terms. Fischer ran for the U.S. Senate in 2012 and was initially seen as a long-shot candidate, but pulled off an unexpected victory against state attorney general Jon Bruning in the Republican primary; in the general election, she defeated former Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey and was the only Republican to flip a Senate seat in the 2012 elections. In 2015, she became the state's senior U.S. senator after Mike Johanns retired.