Sue Crawford, a political science professor, hopes to compliment her teaching experience in a Creighton classroom with experience in the Nebraska Senate.

Crawford announced her plans to run for the District 45 legislative seat in the Nebraska Senate earlier this month. District 45 includes part of the city of Bellevue and the

Offutt community.

Abby Cornett, the incumbent for the seat, has already served two terms and has been forced to step down due to term limits. Crawford and her opponent, Richard Carter, are currently vying for the position. If no one else files to run for the seat, they will both advance past the primary on May 15 to the election

on Nov. 6.

“I look forward to working on issues that make the most difference in the lives of the people who live and work in the Bellevue and Offutt communities including our veterans and military families,” Crawford states on her website.

These issues include taxes, spending, economic development, education and health care.

Crawford’s campaign priorities include providing “good jobs, good education and good government.” She hopes to encourage new jobs through attention to infrastructure small businesses incentives, to provide funding for education and opportunities for learning outside of the classroom, and to emphasize accountability in the budget and government programs.

Her field of study has helped her create her campaign priorities.

“Having a political science background helps — it helps to have knowledge of politics and policy — a political science background also provides a strong background in understanding statistics, economics, political philosophy and strategy,” she said.

She is thankful for the support of her husband, David Crawford, the archivist at Creighton, and her two sons throughout the campaign experience.

“I spent a great deal of time talking with people who had experience in the legislature about the time commitments of campaigning and serving. I am convinced that overall it will be a positive experience for our family and for Creighton,” she said.

Paul Hartnett, a former education professor at Creighton, previously held the seat for which Sue Crawford is running. He encouraged her to run for the seat. He showed his support for her campaign in her press release when she first announced she

was running.

“As someone who has served in the Nebraska Legislature representing this area, I can say without hesitation that Sue brings the right mix of commitment to Bellevue and depth of understanding of the issues to serve this district well,” Hartnett said. “Having her in the Legislature will be a true asset to both our state and the Bellevue and

Offutt communities.”