OMAHA — Grand Island native Jay Stoddard has seen the numbers, and he said it’s alarming.

Citing a loss of 60,000 people in the western two-thirds of Nebraska in the last decade and 6,500 family farms, Stoddard is a little more than uneasy.

The 3rd District Democratic House candidate wonders what it will be like 15 years from now.

“We have to think deeper,” he said. “We have to really think ahead, and I think in a lot of these things we’re not thinking ahead.”

Stoddard, 78, said Nebraska’s 3rd District, which includes Columbus and Platte County, needs to be revitalized and people need to hear what he has to say.

“I am a person who feels that no high office, important office, should go unopposed,” said Stoddard, who is challenging first-term Republican Rep. Adrian Smith. The election is Nov. 4.

The former insurance agent now owns and operates Jay C. Stoddard Enterprises, a venture he says manages his investments.

Stoddard unsuccessfully ran for secretary of state in 2002 and 2006 and the University of Nebraska Board of Regents in 2004. He served on the Grand Island School Board from 1972 to 1975.

Although the latest campaign contribution disclosures show no money raised, Stoddard said he has so far gathered about $1,500. He’s not concerned about the lack of funds, saying he’s more concerned about holding to a strict no-corporate-donation policy.

“I’m a Nebraskan, and I want to think strictly like Nebraskans,” he said.

His campaign early on focused on appearances in community parades or speaking engagements with community groups. But Stoddard said he is looking to rev up the effort heading into the final stretch.

Stoddard is passionate about veterans issues and his own patriotism and is not shy about his feelings about globalization. For the record, he hates it.

He said securing a seat in Congress also will help him address other concerns he believes Nebraskans care about, including restoring trust in the Social Security system and nurturing job growth, particularly in rural areas. He also sees a need to better manage federal spending and to address the tough economic questions that the country faces.

He emphasizes the need to complete the Heartland Expressway. The project was designed in the late 1970s to link Denver and Rapid City, S.D., but has been slow to work its way up the priority list.

Tourism also needs a boost. Western Nebraska has a lot going for it, he said, singling out Chimney Rock as a key site, but doesn’t have the population base to vouch loudly enough to attract assistance.

“The squeaky wheel gets oiled,” he said.

Government policies favor large farms, and that needs to change, said Stoddard, who said he would aim for fairness along with helping “the little guy.”

Stoddard said he is optimistic but still a realist. The Democrat understands the 3rd District is dominated by Republicans and that could stand a threat to his victory. But no bother: He believes he can come out on top either way.

“Win or lose, I still win because people hear what I have to say,” he said.