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Fresh faces to watch in 2013: Deb Fischer

Deb Fischer is more of a rancher than a politician.
State Rep. Deb Fischer, R-Lincoln, speaks to supporters during an election night party in Lincoln, Neb., Tuesday Nov 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
State Rep. Deb Fischer, R-Lincoln, speaks to supporters during an election night party in Lincoln, Neb., Tuesday Nov 6, 2012.

Deb Fischer is more of a rancher than a politician.

Plucked from obscurity as a Nebraska state legislator, Fischer won the state Republicans' nomination in an upset against two state favorites who spent their campaigns fighting each other while she ran as a hardworking mother, rancher, and political outsider.

But inside Washington, Fischer's views are not so affable: She has vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd-Frank Act and the No Child Left Behind Act, while reducing taxes and balancing the federal budget. She campaigned on small government and plans to cut "ineffective agencies, such as the Federal Highway Administration."

Endorsed by Sarah Palin, Fischer also campaigned on her ability to negotiate and build alliances, though her Democratic adversaries told The New York Times she was not known for reaching across the aisle in Nebraska's heavily Republican legislature; instead, she was known for her "steadfast conservatism."

Fischer shies away from rousing speeches. The Times described her as a bold politician, with a "style of going from desk to desk, office to office, trying to persuade colleagues to sign on to bills she agreed with—or to stay away from those she did not."

Click here for other fresh faces to watch in 2013.