Storer journeys from Cherry County to the Capitol

Above: Sen. Tanya Storer and Gator at the senator’s Cherry County ranch.

She may be settling into her Capitol office in Lincoln, but there is no mistaking where Sen. Tanya Storer’s heart lies. One office wall holds a portrait of her competing in cutting — one of three events she qualified in for National High School Finals Rodeo during her teen years.

It was commissioned for the freshman senator by her grandmother as a high school graduation gift. Another portrait of Storer’s grandfather, also by Callaway artist Mariel Klingbeil, is waiting to be hung.

“I grew up on the back of a horse and only left Cherry County long enough to come to Lincoln and get a college degree,” Storer laughed.

After finishing high school in Valentine, Storer said she was “bound and determined” to leave Nebraska behind and head to California, but her parents convinced her to stay in the state for one year. She reluctantly agreed, and within a few months met her future husband, Eric, at the Arthur County Fair.

That was the end of the West Coast plan.

The couple married in 1989 and a year later moved to the ranch where Storer’s mother grew up, which had been leased out for more than 30 years. Her three children attended a one-room elementary schoolhouse, just as Storer had until 5th grade.

It was the decision by lawmakers back in 2005 to consolidate those class one schools that would eventually spur Storer to seek her own seat at the Capitol.

“My fire was lit when the Legislature made that decision and I’m still passionate about the issue.” Storer said. “We can talk about rural economic development until the cows come home, but if we don’t have access to education and other basic infrastructure, it’s fruitless.”

After 11 years on her local school board, Storer served eight years as a Cherry County Commissioner. With her children grown and an open seat in District 43, she decided it was time to take her experience and perspective to the state level.

When asked about navigating the 300-plus-mile distance between Lincoln and her home during the legislative session, Storer said the schedule won’t be much different than when her kids were in high school.

Like many rural families, she and her husband spent weekdays apart for eight years — she was at a second home they’d bought in Mullen so their kids wouldn’t have to commute two hours a day between school and home, while Eric managed the ranch. The family joined him there on the weekends.

It was manageable, she said, but it’s hard to be apart for long stretches of time.

“My husband and I have set the goal that we won’t go more than a week without me going home or him coming to Lincoln,” Storer said. “It’s a sacrifice, but one that people have been willing to make since the Legislature has existed.”

To make the sacrifice worth it, Storer said she hopes to do what she’s always done — be a voice for the unique way of life that rural Nebraskans hold dear.