Republican Chuck Hagel will endorse his former U.S. Senate colleague, Democrat Bob Kerrey, in Kerrey's race to return to Washington.
Kerrey campaign spokesman Chris Triebsch says Hagel will endorse Kerrey at Thursday afternoon news conferences in Omaha and Lincoln.
Hagel represented Nebraska for two terms. Four of those years were served with Kerrey, who left Washington 2001. Hagel served two terms and left the Senate in 2009.
Kerrey is locked in a tight race with Republic state Sen. Deb Fischer to replace Democrat Ben Nelson, who decided not to seek a third six-year term.