Morgan Rye-Craft

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Morgan Rye-Craft

---

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Millard South High School

Bachelor's

University of Nebraska, Omaha, 2016

Graduate

University of Nebraska, Omaha, 2024

Personal

Birthplace

Omaha, Neb.

Profession

Nonprofit director

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Morgan Rye-Craft ran for election to the Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors to represent Subdivision 8 in Nebraska. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Rye-Craft completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Morgan Rye-Craft was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She graduated from Millard South High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in 2016 and a graduate degree in 2024, both from the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Her career experience includes working as a nonprofit director.

Elections

2024

See also: City elections in Omaha, Nebraska (2024)

General election

General election for Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors Subdivision 8

Incumbent Michael Cavanaugh defeated Morgan Rye-Craft in the general election for Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors Subdivision 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Michael Cavanaugh (Nonpartisan)	60.6	26,532
	Submit photo	Morgan Rye-Craft (Nonpartisan)	39.4	17,255

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,787
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors Subdivision 8

Incumbent Michael Cavanaugh and Morgan Rye-Craft defeated Tyler Sondag in the primary for Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors Subdivision 8 on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Michael Cavanaugh (Nonpartisan)	54.4	8,601
✔	Submit photo	Morgan Rye-Craft (Nonpartisan)	26.4	4,181
		Tyler Sondag (Nonpartisan)	18.8	2,974
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	62

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,818
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Rye-Craft in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Morgan Rye-Craft completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rye-Craft's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Morgan Rye-Craft and I am running for Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors. I am a lifelong resident of Millard, and am raising my family here in the same zip code I grew up in. I am deeply passionate about my community and lending a helping hand. I have my Master’s degree in Critical and Creative Thinking from the University of Nebraska Omaha. My day job, I work with former foster youth who are just starting out to find resources that let them thrive on their own. I recognize every cent matters to them and to low and middle income households that need to keep the lights on. I decided to run for OPPD to bring a fresh perspective to the Board.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Reliable Electricity We have seen increased load growth and more frequent and severe storms impact our power. I want to make sure we are prepared for future storms by investing in smart infrastructure that will keep costs low and the lights on.
• Affordable Rates “Affordable” depends on who you’re talking to. I know folks in our community who are struggling, the energy burden is simply higher on folks who are lower to middle income. It is important to keep bills as low as possible. Planning ahead is critical for cushioning the impact of expansion happening on our grid. I would work hard to make sure OPPD residential customers aren’t footing the bill for the generation needs of a few large companies.
• A Voice for Our Community As a parent, I care deeply about making sure we have a safe and healthy community for our kids to grow up in. OPPD plays an important role in the health and safety of our community. I also want to be more transparent and active in my community. Many of the folks who I’ve talked to while campaigning have a limited understanding of how OPPD operates, and I want to actively engage and be clear with them once on the board about what’s happening at OPPD. I will always take this role seriously as your representative on the OPPD Board.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My policy priorities outside affordability and reliability would be improved communication with the public and transparency. I think it is incredibly important that residents feel like they are truly represented by the people they elect into office, and that they know how to interact and engage with those officeholders.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my Nana. She was a kindergarten teacher in Omaha for 30+ years and helped me develop my love for advocacy in this community.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, Transparency, Passion for Community, Ability to Listen, Problem Solving

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I believe I will bring strong interdisciplinary communication skills to the board.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities for an OPPD Board Director involve researching and advocating for smart infrastructure that will keep rates affordable and OPPD moving toward a strong energy future for our community.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked as a receptionist and title clerk at a car dealership. I was there from 2011 to 2016 (high school and undergrad).

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I was not always confident in my young adulthood that next months power was going to be on. I will do everything in my power to ensure that OPPD rates remain as affordable as possible and that ratepayers feel that they have a voice on the board that will advocate for their financial stability.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

I believe it is critical for holders of this office to have strong interdisciplinary communication skills. A major part of the job involves working across teams of staff, customer-owners and executives to ensure our public power works for us.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency and government accountability are big issues for me. I want OPPD to be held accountable to the promises it makes to the public. I also want the public to feel like they are engaged in the decision making process. Many people I’ve talked to while campaigning have shared with me that they have a limited understanding of how OPPD operates or what a director can influence. I want to actively engage with them once on the board and have open dialogue with them about the decisions being made.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors Subdivision 8

Website

Facebook

Personal

Facebook

Instagram