Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska will announce today that he is retiring after two terms, a serious blow to Democratic efforts to hold onto their majority in the chamber next November.

◼ Add another to the list of Democratic victims of ObamaCare - HotAir

On one hand, it’s easy to underestimate the power of incumbency. On the other, the man couldn’t even eat a pizza in peace after casting a decisive vote for ObamaCare and tossing his pro-life credentials into the wastebasket by doing so. Nelson wasn’t going to get re-elected, and would likely have lost by a wide margin in a very red state, especially in a presidential election cycle.

◼ A political tsunami hit Nebraska politics today, with Democratic U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson declining to seek a third term in the U.S. Senate. - Omaha.com

It's good news for Republicans, but incredibly bad for Democrats who need the equivalent of a Christmas miracle to keep the seat.

Democrats have no candidate waiting in the wings. They will have to scramble for a candidate who can quickly organize a statewide campaign and raise millions in less than a year, while competing against Republicans who have been in campaign mode for more than a year.

...Nelson was considered one of the most vulnerable incumbent Democrats in the U.S. Senate, in large part, because of a single vote. Nelson cast the crucial 60th vote in support of President Obama's controversial health-care package in December of 2009.

His vote and the subsequent national outcry over the so-called Cornhusker Kickback - an amendment inserted into the health-care bill to garner Nelson's vote - seriously damaged his political reputation on the homefront....