The race for the Republican nomination to succeed Shane Osborn as state treasurer is one of the most closely contested battles in the Nebraska primary.

The race features former Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg, former Nebraska State Patrol head Tom Nesbitt and Tony Fulton, state senator from the 29th district in south Lincoln. Mark Stoj of Omaha is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

All are strong candidates. Stenberg has the edge in political experience. Nesbitt even worked temporarily in the treasurer’s office helping find people for whom the state was holding unclaimed property.

We think that Fulton is the best choice for the office, which keeps track of the state’s money, returns unclaimed property, handles the flow of child support and oversees the state’s college savings and long-term care savings plans.

At age 37, Fulton introduces himself as someone who represents the “next generation of leadership” for Nebraska. Like his competitors, Fulton opposes a measure that will be on the November ballot to eliminate the office, arguing that the treasurer should be accountable to voters.

Good with details, self-described as a person with a predilection for numbers, Fulton is a member of the Appropriations Committee.

The experience he has gained in that role should be helpful if he is elected state treasurer. In Nebraska’s one-house Legislature, Appropriations Committee members spend dozens of hours every session poring over the state budget and determining priorities.

It’s a testament to the committee’s work that it often is approved by the full Legislature with only minor tweaking. In a recent session, Fulton was instrumental in helping reduce budget cuts proposed for the University of Nebraska.

During Fulton’s tenure on the committee, it has pulled off the rare accomplishment of presiding over both the state’s biggest budget surplus and its biggest tax cut.

Not surprisingly, Fulton said his proudest achievement as a state senator is the work that he has done as a member of that committee.

“I understand the office, and I know the office’s budget intimately through my service on the Appropriations Committee,” he said.

That familiarity shows in a highly technical bill he introduced this session. Approved by the Legislature, the new law smoothed and made more transparent the transfer of funds used for the operation and administration of the Nebraska educational savings plan trust.

Fulton also gained some renown for sponsoring legislation to increase the use of interlock devices in Nebraska. The machines, which prevent a driver from starting a vehicle if he or she has been drinking, have proved effective in reducing drunken driving.

Fulton was educated as a mechanical engineer and has worked full-time in the field. He now owns and manages Guardian Angels Homecare, a business that cares primarily for elderly Nebraskans.

His background and abilities make Fulton the best choice among the Republican candidates for state treasurer to move on to the general election.