John Murante
John Murante (Republican Party) was the Nebraska Treasurer. He assumed office on January 9, 2019. He left office on September 18, 2023.
Murante (Republican Party) ran for re-election for Nebraska Treasurer. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Murante announced in August 2023 that he was resigning as Nebraska State Treasurer on September 18, 2023.[1]
Murante is a former Republican member of the Nebraska State Senate, representing District 49 from 2013 to 2019.[2] He resigned January 9, 2019, to become the state treasurer.
Biography
In addition to his political career, Murante is the former president of Big Fred’s Pizza, a prominent restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska.[3]
Murante was born February 6, 1982, in Omaha. He is a graduate of Skutt Catholic High School and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He and his wife, Melissa, have one daughter. He is a board member of Partnership 4 Kids, and a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, and the Gretna Optimists.[4]
Political career
Nebraska Treasurer (2019-2023)
Murante was elected treasurer of Nebraska on November 6, 2018. He assumed office on January 9, 2019.
Nebraska State Senate (2013-2019)
Murante represented District 49 in the Nebraska State Senate from 2013 to 2019. He resigned on January 9, 2019, to become the state treasurer.
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Nebraska committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Government, Military and Veterans Affairs, Chair |
| • Transportation and Telecommunications |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Murante served on the following committees:
| Nebraska committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Government, Military and Veterans Affairs, Chair |
| • Transportation and Telecommunications |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Murante served on the following committees:
| Nebraska committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • General Affairs |
| • Government, Military and Veterans Affairs |
| • Urban Affairs, Vice Chair |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2022
See also: Nebraska Treasurer election, 2022
General election
General election for Nebraska Treasurer
Incumbent John Murante defeated Katrina Tomsen in the general election for Nebraska Treasurer on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Murante (R) | 72.2 | 431,193 |
| Katrina Tomsen (L) | 27.8 | 165,951 | ||
| Total votes: 597,144 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Nebraska Treasurer
Incumbent John Murante defeated Paul Anderson in the Republican primary for Nebraska Treasurer on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Murante | 56.8 | 121,808 |
| Paul Anderson | 43.2 | 92,522 | ||
| Total votes: 214,330 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for Nebraska Treasurer
Katrina Tomsen advanced from the Libertarian primary for Nebraska Treasurer on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Katrina Tomsen | 100.0 | 1,871 | |
| Total votes: 1,871 | |||
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2018
General election
General election for Nebraska Treasurer
John Murante won election in the general election for Nebraska Treasurer on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Murante (R) | 100.0 | 516,210 |
| Total votes: 516,210 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Nebraska Treasurer
John Murante defeated Taylor Royal in the Republican primary for Nebraska Treasurer on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Murante | 56.4 | 82,667 |
 | Taylor Royal | 43.6 | 63,844 | |
| Total votes: 146,511 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2016
- See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Nebraska State Senate were held in 2016. The primary election took place on May 10, 2016. The general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 16, 2016, for incumbents. Challengers were required to file by March 1, 2016.[5]
Incumbent John Murante ran unopposed in the Nebraska State Senate District 49 general election.[6][7]
| Nebraska State Senate, District 49 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
 John Murante Incumbent | ||
| Source: Nebraska Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent John Murante ran unopposed in the Nebraska State Senate District 49 primary.[8][9]
| Nebraska State Senate, District 49 Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| John Murante Incumbent | ||
2012
- See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2012
Murante won election in the 2012 election for Nebraska State Senate District 49. Murante was unopposed in the May 15 primary election and defeated Frank Wellenstein in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | John Murante |
65.9% | 8,508 | |
| Nonpartisan | Frank Wellenstein | 34.1% | 4,398 | |
| Total Votes | 12,906 | |||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John Murante did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Issues
ESG
| Environmental, social, and corporate governance |
|---|
|
| Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. |
Murante has taken positions in opposition to Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), an approach to investing and corporate decision-making.
State financial officers, including treasurers, auditors, and controllers, are responsible for auditing other government offices, managing payroll, and overseeing pensions. In some states, certain SFOs are also responsible for investing state retirement and trust funds.
Opposition to Morningstar ratings of Israel investments (August 2022)
In August 2022, Senator John Murante and 17 members of the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) co-signed a letter to Morningstar, expressing concerns about Morningstar's subsidiary, Sustainalytics, negatively rating companies connected to Israel. They believed this aligned with the BDS movement, which they considered contrary to global peace, democracy, and human rights. The letter urged Morningstar to cease differential treatment of Israel-connected companies in its research and ratings.”[12]
Opposition to SEC proposal to mandate ESG reporting (June 2022)
In June 2022, Murante and 22 other state financial officials submitted a comment to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) opposing an SEC rule proposal titled the “Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors.” In December 2022, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported that if the SEC rule were finalized it “would become some of the first mandatory environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting requirements for U.S. companies, requiring the disclosure of climate-related risk information in registration statements and periodic reports.”[13][14]
“We have watched with dismay as the Commission and other federal commissions and boards have proposed rules and policies that promote political causes that will adversely affect public finance and retirement income,” wrote the state financial officers in the letter. “The Proposed Rule is another such rule.”[15]
Letter to Department of Labor regarding use of ESG criteria in ERISA decisions (May 2022)
In May 2022, Murante and 37 state officials from 23 states cosigned a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor Employment Benefits Security Administration to oppose the implementation of proposed agency rule. The proposed rule would allow fiduciaries of private pension plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to “make investment decisions that reflect climate change and other environmental, social, or governance (“ESG”) considerations, including climate-related financial risk, and choose economically targeted investments (“ETIs”) selected, in part, for benefits apart from the investment return.”[16]
The cosigners objected to the rule, writing that it “would irrationally require fiduciaries to elevate immaterial and speculative risks in employee retirement savings investment decisions” where instead the fiduciaries should be “considering only the material financial or pecuniary factors of each potential investment.”[17]
Pro-American Energy Letter to President Biden (April 2022)
In April 2022, Murante and 26 other state financial officers cosigned an open letter to President Joe Biden (D) criticizing his administration for promoting an ESG agenda and enacting policies that “thwart the vitality of American energy production.” The letter specifically criticized Biden for canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, disallowing new oil and natural gas leases on federal lands, canceling drilling projects in Alaska and imposing “anti-oil and gas rulemaking from the highest levels of government.”[18]
“Instead of asking Americans to purchase electric vehicles—which is simply not an option for a great number of American families—government leaders should eliminate barriers to and expand development of these critical resources, bringing down the price of gas at the pump,” wrote the letter signers. “Most Americans cannot afford to purchase an electric vehicle or equip their home with a full set of solar panels, and many in rural America need traditional fuel to run the trucks that service their farms and help feed their communities.”[19]
Opposition to Federal Reserve Bank appointee (January 2022)
In January 2022, Murante was one of 25 members of the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) who co-signed a letter to President Biden (D), asking him to withdraw the nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to the Federal Reserve Bank Board of Governors.[20]
In a May 2020 New York Times commentary titled “Why Is the Fed Spending So Much Money on a Dying Industry?,” Raskin wrote that Federal Reserve policy decisions should be biased against the fossil fuel industry: “The decisions the Fed makes on our behalf should build toward a stronger economy with more jobs in innovative industries — not prop up and enrich dying ones.”[21]
Murante and the signatories on the SFOF letter wrote that they were concerned Raskin “would use the supervisory authority as Vice-Chair for Supervision at the Federal Reserve Bank to disrupt the private banking sector, reliable energy supplies, and the U.S. economy.”[20]
In March 2022, Raskin withdrew her name from consideration for the Federal Reserve position.[22]
Letter to Unilever CEO regarding Ben & Jerry’s anti-Israel policy (December 2021)
In July 2021, American ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s announced it was ending sales of its products in the “occupied Palestinian territory.” In response, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Ben & Jerry’s had become the “anti-Israel ice cream.”[23]
Ben & Jerry’s is a subsidiary of Unilever, PLC, a publicly traded multinational consumer products conglomerate.
On December 9, 2021, Murante was one of six other state treasurers co-signing a letter sent by Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee (R) to Unilever CEO Alan Jope, accusing him of attempting to “deflect responsibility for Ben & Jerry’s boycott by suggesting that you have no authority over your subsidiary’s decision in this case.” The letter cited two law professors who had reviewed the Ben & Jerry’s acquisition agreement and found that it required Ben & Jerry’s to “help Unilever sell the premium ice cream in Israel.” The treasurers asked Jope to provide “full clarification and transparency regarding Unilever’s ability to override the discriminatory boycott of Israel initiated by Ben & Jerry’s.”[24]
In June 2022, Unilever announced it was selling the Israeli rights to the ice cream to American Quality Products (AQP), allowing sales to resume in Israel under the new label. In a Twitter statement, Ben & Jerry’s expressed its disagreement with the policy change: “While our parent company has taken this decision, we do not agree with it. Unilever’s arrangement means Ben & Jerry’s in Israel will be owned and operated by AQP. Our company will no longer profit from Ben & Jerry’s in Israel.”[25]
Opposition to U.S. Department of Labor ESG rules (December 2021)
In December 2021, Murante and 35 other state financial officers and attorneys general submitted a public comment to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in opposition to a proposed DOL rule that would encourage financial managers to consider ESG factors when selecting investments for private sector pension plans.
Titled the “Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights,” the rule would state that pension plan managers “can make investment decisions that reflect climate change and other environmental, social, or governance (‘ESG’) considerations, including climate-related financial risk, and choose economically targeted investments (‘ETIs’) selected, in part, for benefits apart from the investment return.”
Murante and the other officials wrote that the rule “would allow employers and investment managers to invest employee retirement savings in a way that benefits social causes and corporate goals even if it adversely affects the return to the employee” and that it would permit “proxy voting in ways that support ESG investment goals contrary to shareholder interests.”
The state officials wrote that they were “opposed to investment managers and employers being encouraged or mandated to consider ESG factors and protected from legal action when they do” and that the DOL’s proposed rule “makes what should be a financial decision into a political one.”[26]
West Virginia letter supporting financial system access for fuel industry (November 2021)
Murante was a co-signer on a November 22, 2021, letter sent by West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore (R) and addressed: “To Whom It May Concern in the U.S. Banking Industry.” The signatories were the treasurers, auditors and comptrollers from fifteen states. The letter identified them as the “fiduciaries and stewards of more than $600 billion” in combined investment capital.
The letter began: “We are writing to notify you that we will be taking collective action in response to the ongoing and growing economic boycott of traditional energy production industries by U.S. financial institutions.” The signatories wrote their individual actions would be tailored to fit each state’s unique laws and economic position, but that the coordinated objective would be “to select financial institutions that support a free market and are not engaged in harmful fossil fuel industry boycotts for our states’ financial services contracts.”[27]
Letter to John Kerry regarding banking access for energy firms (May 2021)
Murante was one of fourteen other state treasurers who co-signed a May 2021 letter sent by West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore (R) to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry (D). The treasurers informed Kerry of their concern that he and others in President Joe Biden’s (D) administration were “privately pressuring U.S. banks and financial institutions to refuse to lend to or invest in coal, oil, and natural gas companies, as part of a misguided strategy to eliminate the fossil fuel industry in our country.” The signatories told Kerry that they “strongly oppose the Biden Administration’s efforts to cut off financing for law-abiding industries that are essential to the economy and our citizens’ way of life.”[28]
According to a March 12, 2021, Politico story referenced in the letter, Kerry was “prodding major U.S. banks privately to announce commitments for climate-friendly finance.” The report also revealed that the Biden administration and several climate policy groups held a March 9, 2022, teleconference to discuss “potential financial sector regulations and executive actions to limit risk from climate change-fueled shocks.” Politico listed representatives from the following groups as participants on the call: the Center for American Progress, Public Citizen, Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club and 350.org.[29][28]
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
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Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Nebraska scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature was in its 106th Legislature, 2nd session from January 3 to April 18.
- Holland Children's Movement: 2018 scorecard
- Legislators are scored on children's issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry: 2018 Legislative Voting Record
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature was in its 105th Legislature, 1st session from January 4 to May 23.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature was in its 104th Legislature, 2nd session from January 6 to April 20.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature was in its 104th Legislature, 1st session from January 7 to May 29.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature was in its 103rd Legislature, 2nd session from January 8 to April 17.[30]
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature was in its 103rd Legislature, 1st session from January 9 to June 5.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Barrett and his wife, Nancy, have six children.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Nebraska Examiner, "Governor seeks applicants for State Treasurer vacancy after Murante signals he’s leaving Sept. 18," accessed September 14, 2023
- ↑ Note: Although the Nebraska State Senate elects its members in nonpartisan elections, members of the chamber generally function along party lines when it comes to voting and caucusing. Please see Nebraska State Senate partisan affiliation for more information.
- ↑ Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office, “About the Treasurer,” accessed March 1, 2023
- ↑ Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office, “About the Treasurer,” accessed March 1, 2023
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Official Election Calendar," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Statewide Candidate List for general election," accessed August 19, 2016
- ↑ Nebraska Secetary of State, "General election results, 2016," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Statewide Candidate List," accessed May 16, 2016
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Primary Election May 10, 2016," accessed October 14, 2016
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Statewide Candidate List," accessed February 14, 2014
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Official Report of The Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska - Primary Election, May 15, 2012," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Office of the State Treasurer, “Letter from membership of State Financial Officers Foundation to Mr. Kunal Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, Morningstar, Inc.,” August 25, 2022
- ↑ Pittsburgh Business Times, “SEC’s proposed ESG rule: Key takeaways for public and private companies,” December 1, 2022
- ↑ State Financial Officers Foundation, Letter to Securities and Exchange Commission Re: Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors, June 17, 2022
- ↑ State Financial Officers Foundation, Letter to Securities and Exchange Commission Re: Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors, June 17, 2022
- ↑ State of Utah, “Re: Request for Information on Possible Agency Actions to Protect Life Savings and Pensions from Threats of Climate Related Financial Risk Z–RIN 1210–ZA30,” May 16, 2022
- ↑ State of Utah, “Re: Request for Information on Possible Agency Actions to Protect Life Savings and Pensions from Threats of Climate Related Financial Risk Z–RIN 1210–ZA30,” May 16, 2022
- ↑ State Financial Officers Foundation, “Letter to President Joe Biden,” April 5, 2022
- ↑ State Financial Officers Foundation, “Letter to President Joe Biden,” April 5, 2022
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 State Financial Officers Foundation, “Letter to President Joe Biden from State Financial Officers Foundation,” January 31, 2021
- ↑ CNBC, “Republicans grill Fed nominee Raskin over past views on climate and big energy companies,” February 3, 2022
- ↑ New York Post, “Sarah Raskin withdraws Federal Reserve nomination after Joe Manchin blocks Biden pick,” March 15, 2022
- ↑ Jewish News Service, “Ben & Jerry’s to freeze ice-cream sales in ‘occupied Palestinian territory,’” July 19, 2021
- ↑ Office of the Arizona State Treasurer, “Letter to Alan Jope, Chief Executive Officer of Unilever, PLC,” December 9, 2021
- ↑ Jewish News Service, “Unilever reaches deal with Ben & Jerry’s Israel to end boycott,” June 29, 2022
- ↑ State of Utah, “Comment to Department of Labor, Office of Regulations and Interpretations, from Utah and undersigned states. ATTN: Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights,” December 13, 2021
- ↑ West Virginia Office of the State Treasurer, “Letter: To Whom It May Concern in the U.S. Banking Industry,” November 22, 2021
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 West Virginia Office of the State Treasurer, “Letter from Riley Moore to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry,” May 25, 2021
- ↑ Politico, “Kerry to Wall Street: Put your money behind your climate PR,” March 12, 2021
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "2014 Legislative Session," accessed June 27, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Nebraska Treasurer 2019-2023 |
Succeeded by Tom Briese (R) |
| Preceded by - |
Nebraska State Senate District 49 2013-2019 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||||||||||||||||
 |
State of Nebraska Lincoln (capital) |
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