Senator Ben Nelson leaving politics after more than 20 years

OMAHA (AP) – One of his proudest moments in the U.S. Senate, Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said as he prepares to leave the chamber after two terms, came in 2005 when he helped form the so-called Gang of 14, a bipartisan group of 14 senators who brokered a deal to avoid a filibuster showdown over judicial nominees.

That bipartisan effort seems a lifetime away as the Senate wallows in deep partisan rancor.

While the 71-year-old Nelson insists his reasons for bowing out of a run for a third term were personal, he joins a number of retiring moderates who have expressed their chagrin over political polariza...