Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post is ready to call the Nebraska Senate race one of the top 10 races likely to change hands in 2008:

8. Nebraska (R): No one we talk to thinks Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) is going to run for reelection to the Senate. Say what you will about AG Jon Bruning (too ambitious, too soon), he is a hard-charger and poses serious problems for Hagel given the incumbent’s opposition to the war in Iraq — a position not widely held among Republican base voters. If Hagel doesn’t run for reelection, Democrats feel confident that Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey (D) would jump in and run a campaign in the mold of successful Nebraska Democrats like Ben Nelson, Bob Kerrey and Jim Exon. We’re intrigued by a Bruning-Fahey general-election match-up, but Nebraska is still one of the rubiest red states in America, so we can’t justify the race being any higher on the Line. (Previous ranking: N/A)

After April presented a bleak picture, things have brightened up quite a bit. The candidates are all moving forward as if Chuck Hagel is not running for reelection. Whether or not it is true, the institutional players in the Republican Party presume that it is. This presents a difficult challenge for Hagel should he choose to enter the race later on this year. He clearly doesn’t want to shut any doors at this point, but signs are starting to point toward a different Republican carrying the banner in 2008.

We’ll see how it all plays out, but this is our best opportunity in years to make gains for the Democratic Party in Nebraska. Let’s take it.