McLeay visits Sidney in bid for Senate post

Bringing the rest of the nation to the Nebraska point of view is Bart McLeay's first priority in his bid for U.S. Senate in 2014.

McLeay in running for many of the same reason as his fellow Republicans.

"I was concerned about where our country was going," McLeay said. "And what we would be leaving our children and grandchildren."

McLeay thinks that the answer to turning the country in the right direction is fixing the budget.

"I have an accounting degree and a business background and believe I am well suited to assist in straightening out the financial mess that we find our country in at the moment," McLeay said.

McLeay admits that congress is currently in gridlock and says that it needs someone like him to bring people together and persuade congressmen and women to side with conservatives.

"When I've had the pleasure of standing in front of a jury, you don't get to just talk to the Republicans in the jury box," McLeay said. "You have to reach the Democrats and those people who are high school educated and those who have a Ph.D as well as the people who are rich and poor. And they all have to be equally persuaded."

In his mind, the Nebraska point of view values limited government, fiscal responsibility and conservatism. He believes he's capable of working with Democrats to actually get legislation passed.

"I think we have to look hard for the areas of agreement and capitalize on those positions," McLeay said. "Almost all people, including Republicans and Democrats want to enjoy freedom. We have a government that has expanded in such a great way that it is invading our freedom. We need to look together at ways to restore freedom to our people."

McLeay describes this lack of freedom he sees in the United States as the government's encroachment on the lives of its citizens to such an extent that people expect handouts.

"We need to look at ways to allow people to be free from the government and allow them to succeed or fail on their own," McLeay said.

McLeay thinks that for those who honestly need help, local governments and charities should step in.

"When you have the federal government involved in so many activities, you run the risk of people relying on the government instead of themselves," McLeay said.

This lawyer has hope that the federal government's budget woes can be solved.

"It seems daunting, because we have a $17 trillion federal debt," McLeay said. "We'll have a 700 billion deficit again this year. But there are ways to fix the problem."

In an ideal world, congress would pass a balanced budget amendment, McLeay said. He knows that this isn't possible so he recommends looking at the Simpson-Bowles recommendations, which would reduce deficit spending by $2.4 trillion in the next 10 years. Although McLeay says that Simpson-Bowles is a good example of how bipartisanship can work in congress, he's against all tax increases contained in the measure.

Like most Republicans, McLeay wants to see the Affordable Care Act repealed. He also believes that if the country's debt problem is resolved, business will flourish.

"If you create a structure for resolving the debt and the financial structure we have created you will see businesses respond very positively because they now have some level of certainty," McLeay said. "Thus tax revenues will grow from the business expansion."

One of McLeay's campaign platforms is a more assertive foreign policy. He was disappointed in President Barack Obama's approach, particularly in the Libyan crisis.

"I am against the United States as the only super power in the world ever announcing that it was going to lead from behind," McLeay said. "We are the leader of the free world and the most powerful nation on earth, and we should exert that leadership from the front. That does not mean I'm suggesting that we lead with troops or military arsenal. I mean that we should lead with direction and influence."

McLeay touts his accounting degree and business background which he thinks will both be helpful in congress at the moment.

"I have a unique skill set that happens to be needed right now," McLeay said.

People in rural Nebraska want someone in U.S. congress who truly represents them, McLeay added.

"I think they would want a United States Senator that listens to them," McLeay said.

McLeay came to the panhandle this week because he wants to hear the concerns of those in this part of the state and to make sure they have a voice in Washington D.C.

"As it relates to the federal government, people in small towns and people in big cities in Nebraska think alike," McLeay said. "We wanna see reduced federal government. We would like to see a financial fix to the debt that is exploding before our eyes. I think they would like to see a government that is less involved in the peoples' lives."

McLeay was born and raised in Omaha, has an accounting degree from University of Arizona and later graduated from the University of Virginia Law School.

Both sides of his family have been in Nebraska for more than 100 years.

He's been at the Kutak Rock law firm, the largest firm in Nebraska for 28 years, working as a business lawyer. At the firm, he's the chair of the litigation department where he coordinates 140 lawyers in 12 offices.