Ben Sasse: Anatomy of a campaign

Froma household name in his own household and not much beyondto a landslide victory in a wide-open Senate race.

From3 percent nameidentification and primary election underdog to Republican nominee and then on to the second-largest victory margin ever compiled in an open-seat Senate contest in Nebraska history.

The anatomy ofBen Sasse'striumph is more a carefully constructed, disciplined, straight-line advance thatmorphed into a surge rather than a story of twists and turns.

More like the trajectory of a long punt return by De'Mornay Pierson-Elthan the shiftingdirection of an Ameer Abdullah touchdown run.

But not nearlyas quick. Sasse's touchdowncompleted a 20-month journeythat began witha thought in his head.

Areplay would reveal that there was a moment at the beginning of the official 13-month campaign when Sasse placed the decision on whether to continue to proceed in the hands of his neighbors and community leaders in Fremont.

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It all began for Ben Sasse the week after Mike Johanns suddenly announced on Feb. 18, 2003, that he would not seek re-election.

That's when thefirst glimmerof a 2014 bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate first enteredthe mind of the 41-year-old president of Midland University in Fremont, a guy with a rich pedigree of academic and public policy achievement but no trace on Nebraska's political radar screen.

People couldn't even pronounce his name.And for those who still can't, it's Sass without the "e." And, for the record,he's now 42.

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Ben Sasse: Anatomy of a campaign