A first take on Tuesday's votes

There will be plenty of time to analyze the meaning of Tuesday's election between now and the general election in November, but we hope one point is already apparent:

Those who have been involved in the political process should keep involved.

We hope that Tuesday was not the end of the road for Tom Osborne's involvement in steering public policy, as even GOP nominee Gov. Dave Heineman indicated in his victory speech.

Osborne "is an extraordinary human being. Everyone in this state has enormous respect for what he's done for our state. Being involved in a race with him is very, very difficult because I have so much respect for him," Heineman said.

We know how much Osborne hates to lose. But we know he will keep fighting for what he believes in whether in an elected position or as a powerful advocate for his causes.

And what a squeaker in the 44th District, where Jeff Tidyman lost by only 5 votes to Frank Shoemaker for second place, apparently headed for a recount. Mark Christensen, beat them both by 3 percent.

In the end, two will go on to the general election, but we hope the other five will continue to be involved in the political process.

The race for U.S. Senate promises to be a tough battle for incumbent Ben Nelson and challenger Pete Ricketts, but we have problems with someone spending the better part of $5 million to win our vote.

Speaking of money, we're disappointed at the defeat of Amendment One, which would have brought legislative pay closer to the real costs of serving in the Nebraska Unicameral.

Until the situation is rectified, state senators will tend to be either those who are independently wealthy, or those who can get by on a shoestring, neither of which are a true representation of the vast majority of the voters.

Lest local voters lose interest, the McCook City Council race will draw the attention it deserves in the fall election, and six qualified candidates for the McCook school board will have a chance to make their cases in time for the vote.

Congratulations to everyone who put themselves before the voters on Tuesday, those who won and those who didn't win, alike. You can be proud of playing a part in a process that makes our country great.