Municipal elections in Douglas County, Nebraska (2020)
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| 2020 Douglas County elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: February 18, 2020 (incumbents) & March 2, 2020 (non-incumbents) |
| Primary election: May 12, 2020 General election: November 3, 2020 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: County commissioners, county clerk, public defender, Metropolitan College board of governors, Nebraska Educational Service Unit No. 3, Learning Community Coordinating Council, Metropolitan Utilities District of Omaha, Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court, Fourth District court, Fourth District county court, and Separate Juvenile Court |
| Total seats up: 42 |
| Election type: Partisan and Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2020 |
Douglas County, Nebraska, held general elections for county commissioners, county clerk, public defender, Metropolitan College board of governors, Nebraska Educational Service Unit No. 3, Learning Community Coordinating Council seats, Metropolitan Utilities District of Omaha seats, Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District seats, and judicial retention elections for the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court seats, Fourth District court seats, Fourth District county court seats, and a Separate Juvenile Court seat on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for May 12, 2020. The filing deadline for incumbents in this election was February 18, 2020, and the filing deadline for non-incumbents in this election was March 2, 2020.[1]
Click here to learn more about 2020 elections in Omaha, Nebraska.
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Nebraska modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Absentee/mail-in voting: Mail-in ballots were sent to all registered voters in the general election.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Elections
Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.
County commission
General election
County commission general election (November 3, 2020) |
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| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
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| District 3 |
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Ernie Chambers (Independent) (Write-in) |
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| District 5 |
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| District 7 |
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Primary election
County commission primary election (May 12, 2020) |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 3 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 5 |
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| District 7 |
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Other county offices
County Clerk
General election
General election for Douglas County Clerk-Comptroller
Incumbent Daniel Esch defeated Scott Petersen in the general election for Douglas County Clerk-Comptroller on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Daniel Esch (D) | 54.0 | 142,263 | |
| Scott Petersen (R) | 45.8 | 120,714 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 463 | ||
| Total votes: 263,440 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
County Public Defender
General election
General election for Douglas County Public Defender
Incumbent Thomas Riley won election in the general election for Douglas County Public Defender on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Thomas Riley (D) | 96.9 | 207,652 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 3.1 | 6,698 | ||
| Total votes: 214,350 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Special districts
Nebraska Educational Service Unit No. 3
Nebraska Educational Service Unit No. 3 general election (November 3, 2020) | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| District 2 |
 Ted Stilwill (i) |
| District 4 |
Mary Scarborough (i) John Witzel |
| District 6 |
Alan Moore (i) |
| District 8 |
Ron Pearson (i) |
Metropolitan Community College Board
General election
Metropolitan Community College Board general election (November 3, 2020) | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| District 1 |
Linda McDermitt (i) Brock Bean |
| District 2 |
Brad Ashby Alex Garrison |
| District 3 |
Dave Pantos (i)Adam Gotschall |
| District 4 |
Christopher Costello Zach Reinhardt |
Primary election
Metropolitan Community College Board primary election (May 12, 2020) | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| District 3 |
Dave Pantos (i) Cameron Gales Adam Gotschall Gerald Kuhn |
| District 4 |
Christopher Costello Mark V. Holst Zach Reinhardt Evan Schmeits |
Metropolitan Utilities District Board
General election
Metropolitan Utilities District Board general election (November 3, 2020) | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| Subdivision 3 |
Gwen Howard (i) |
| Subdivision 4 |
Tim Cavanaugh (i) Tom Wurtz |
| Subdivision 5 |
Tanya Cook (i) |
Primary election
Metropolitan Utilities District Board primary election (May 12, 2020) | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| Subdivision 3 |
Gwen Howard (i) |
| Subdivision 4 |
Tim Cavanaugh (i)Tom Wurtz |
| Subdivision 5 |
Tanya Cook (i) |
Learning Community Coordinating Council
General election
Learning Community Coordinating Council general election (November 3, 2020) | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| Achievement Subcouncil 2 (2 seats) |
Carol Hahn (i)Nathan Zingg |
| Achievement Subcouncil 4 (2 seats) |
Allen Hager (i)Lisa Schoenberger Josh Wigginton |
| Achievement Subcouncil 6 (2 seats) |
Andrew Brock Tim Hall |
Primary election
Learning Community Coordinating Council primary election (May 12, 2020) | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| Achievement Subcouncil 2 (2 seats) |
Carol Hahn (i)Nathan Zingg |
| Achievement Subcouncil 4 (2 seats) |
Allen Hager (i)Lisa Schoenberger Josh Wigginton |
| Achievement Subcouncil 6 (2 seats) |
Andrew Brock Tim Hall |
Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District
General election
Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District general election (November 3, 2020) | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| Subdistrict 1 |
Ted Japp (i) |
| Subdistrict 3 |
Larry Bradley (i) Christian Mirch |
| Subdistrict 5 |
Richard Tesar (i) |
| Subdistrict 7 |
Danny Begley (i) |
| Subdistrict 9 |
Tyler Berzina Patrick Bonnett |
Primary election
Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District primary election (May 12, 2020) | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| Subdistrict 9 |
Tyler Berzina Patrick Bonnett James Houlihan |
Judicial
Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court
Stine's seat
Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court, Stine's seat
Thomas E. Stine was retained to the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court on November 3, 2020 with 75.6% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ | Yes |
75.6
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564,633 | ||
No |
24.4
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182,366 | |||
Total Votes |
746,999 | ||||
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Block's seat
Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court, Block's seat
Dirk V. Block was retained to the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court on November 3, 2020 with 75.7% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ | Yes |
75.7
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560,888 | ||
No |
24.3
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179,783 | |||
Total Votes |
740,671 | ||||
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Fourth District Court
Burns' seat
Nebraska 4th District Court, Burns' seat
Timothy Burns was retained to the Nebraska 4th District Court on November 3, 2020 with 71.6% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ | Yes |
71.6
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153,099 | ||
No |
28.4
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60,648 | |||
Total Votes |
213,747 | ||||
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Coffey's seat
Nebraska 4th District Court, Coffey's seat
Michael Coffey was retained to the Nebraska 4th District Court on November 3, 2020 with 70.4% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ | Yes |
70.4
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150,764 | ||
No |
29.6
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63,358 | |||
Total Votes |
214,122 | ||||
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Dougherty's seat
Nebraska 4th District Court, Dougherty's seat
Duane Dougherty was retained to the Nebraska 4th District Court on November 3, 2020 with 70.6% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ | Yes |
70.6
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150,290 | ||
No |
29.4
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62,465 | |||
Total Votes |
212,755 | ||||
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Polk's seat
Nebraska 4th District Court, Polk's seat
Marlon Polk was retained to the Nebraska 4th District Court on November 3, 2020 with 67.1% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ | Yes |
67.1
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143,627 | ||
No |
32.9
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70,324 | |||
Total Votes |
213,951 | ||||
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Randall's seat
Nebraska 4th District Court, Randall's seat
Gary Randall was retained to the Nebraska 4th District Court on November 3, 2020 with 69.8% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ | Yes |
69.8
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148,806 | ||
No |
30.2
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64,412 | |||
Total Votes |
213,218 | ||||
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Separate Juvenile Court
Douglas County Separate Juvenile Court, Kahler's seat
Matthew Kahler was retained to the Douglas County Separate Juvenile Court on November 3, 2020 with 71.7% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ | Yes |
71.7
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152,069 | ||
No |
28.3
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60,072 | |||
Total Votes |
212,141 | ||||
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Fourth District County Court
Lowe's seat
Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court, Lowe's seat
Darryl Lowe was retained to the Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court on November 3, 2020 with 65.1% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ | Yes |
65.1
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138,994 | ||
No |
34.9
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74,676 | |||
Total Votes |
213,670 | ||||
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Shearer's seat
Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court, Shearer's seat
Stephanie Shearer was retained to the Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court on November 3, 2020 with 74.6% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ | Yes |
74.6
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157,634 | ||
No |
25.4
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53,583 | |||
Total Votes |
211,217 | ||||
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McDermott's seat
Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court, McDermott's seat
Craig McDermott was retained to the Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court on November 3, 2020 with 72.0% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
72.0
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152,558 | ||
No |
28.0
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59,427 | |||
Total Votes |
211,985 | ||||
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Lohaus' seat
Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court, Lohaus' seat
Sheryl Lohaus was retained to the Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court on November 3, 2020 with 72.7% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
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| ✔ | Yes |
72.7
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154,246 | ||
No |
27.3
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57,870 | |||
Total Votes |
212,116 | ||||
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Keim's seat
Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court, Keim's seat
Marcela Keim was retained to the Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court on November 3, 2020 with 73.0% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
73.0
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154,519 | ||
No |
27.0
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57,279 | |||
Total Votes |
211,798 | ||||
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Hendrix's seat
Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court, Hendrix's seat
Marcena Hendrix was retained to the Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court on November 3, 2020 with 72.3% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
72.3
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153,006 | ||
No |
27.7
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58,581 | |||
Total Votes |
211,587 | ||||
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Huber's seat
Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court, Huber's seat
John Huber was retained to the Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court on November 3, 2020 with 67.6% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
67.6
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142,253 | ||
No |
32.4
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68,327 | |||
Total Votes |
210,580 | ||||
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Endorsements
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Nebraska elections, 2020
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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Candidate survey
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About the county
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Douglas County, Nebraska | ||
|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | Nebraska | |
| Population | 584,526 | 1,961,504 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 326 | 76,817 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 77.2% | 85.3% |
| Black/African American | 10.9% | 4.8% |
| Asian | 4% | 2.5% |
| Native American | 0.5% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.1% |
| Other (single race) | 2.6% | 2.5% |
| Multiple | 4.7% | 3.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 12.8% | 11.2% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 90.8% | 91.6% |
| College graduation rate | 40.2% | 32.5% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $66,600 | $63,015 |
| Persons below poverty level | 10.7% | 10.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
One of 93 Nebraska counties—1.08 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Thurston County, Nebraska | 5.94% | 13.91% | 6.96% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Nebraska with 58.7 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 33.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1868 and 2016, Nebraska voted Republican 82 percent of the time and Democratic 18 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Nebraska voted Republican all five times.[2]
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Senate districts in Nebraska. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[3][4]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 10 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 26.2 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 12 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 22.8 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 39 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 31.1 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 37 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 38.3 points. Trump won five districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state Senate District | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 35.00% | 62.82% | R+27.8 | 25.56% | 68.52% | R+43 | R |
| 2 | 34.70% | 63.63% | R+28.9 | 28.10% | 65.62% | R+37.5 | R |
| 3 | 39.04% | 59.04% | R+20 | 36.88% | 55.76% | R+18.9 | D |
| 4 | 33.37% | 65.51% | R+32.1 | 37.83% | 56.86% | R+19 | R |
| 5 | 56.53% | 41.59% | D+14.9 | 53.64% | 40.42% | D+13.2 | D |
| 6 | 44.02% | 54.75% | R+10.7 | 49.08% | 45.79% | D+3.3 | R |
| 7 | 63.42% | 34.32% | D+29.1 | 63.88% | 29.08% | D+34.8 | D |
| 8 | 61.53% | 36.52% | D+25 | 63.44% | 29.78% | D+33.7 | D |
| 9 | 58.49% | 39.32% | D+19.2 | 61.55% | 31.87% | D+29.7 | D |
| 10 | 45.04% | 53.54% | R+8.5 | 44.08% | 50.23% | R+6.1 | I |
| 11 | 91.12% | 8.07% | D+83.1 | 85.83% | 10.84% | D+75 | I |
| 12 | 43.61% | 54.71% | R+11.1 | 42.37% | 51.31% | R+8.9 | R |
| 13 | 64.84% | 33.83% | D+31 | 61.33% | 33.93% | D+27.4 | D |
| 14 | 37.62% | 60.56% | R+22.9 | 36.43% | 56.65% | R+20.2 | R |
| 15 | 38.07% | 60.36% | R+22.3 | 29.77% | 65.08% | R+35.3 | D |
| 16 | 31.13% | 67.37% | R+36.2 | 23.45% | 70.90% | R+47.4 | R |
| 17 | 43.76% | 54.47% | R+10.7 | 33.78% | 61.06% | R+27.3 | R |
| 18 | 44.60% | 54.31% | R+9.7 | 45.14% | 48.75% | R+3.6 | R |
| 19 | 25.28% | 72.70% | R+47.4 | 19.05% | 75.26% | R+56.2 | R |
| 20 | 42.76% | 55.71% | R+13 | 45.35% | 48.92% | R+3.6 | R |
| 21 | 46.85% | 51.27% | R+4.4 | 40.87% | 51.98% | R+11.1 | R |
| 22 | 23.32% | 75.02% | R+51.7 | 18.05% | 77.74% | R+59.7 | R |
| 23 | 31.22% | 66.98% | R+35.8 | 23.17% | 71.65% | R+48.5 | R |
| 24 | 26.29% | 72.16% | R+45.9 | 20.95% | 73.47% | R+52.5 | R |
| 25 | 38.80% | 59.40% | R+20.6 | 41.24% | 53.38% | R+12.1 | R |
| 26 | 52.21% | 46.11% | D+6.1 | 46.82% | 45.23% | D+1.6 | D |
| 27 | 52.75% | 45.63% | D+7.1 | 50.52% | 42.64% | D+7.9 | D |
| 28 | 60.87% | 37.83% | D+23 | 59.15% | 33.04% | D+26.1 | D |
| 29 | 47.69% | 50.58% | R+2.9 | 49.38% | 43.97% | D+5.4 | D |
| 30 | 38.34% | 59.25% | R+20.9 | 31.53% | 62.47% | R+30.9 | R |
| 31 | 33.78% | 65.04% | R+31.3 | 36.93% | 57.43% | R+20.5 | D |
| 32 | 35.71% | 62.38% | R+26.7 | 27.09% | 67.12% | R+40 | L |
| 33 | 31.50% | 66.71% | R+35.2 | 24.02% | 70.78% | R+46.8 | R |
| 34 | 27.77% | 70.53% | R+42.8 | 20.10% | 75.21% | R+55.1 | R |
| 35 | 39.62% | 58.44% | R+18.8 | 33.52% | 60.87% | R+27.3 | D |
| 36 | 24.72% | 73.31% | R+48.6 | 19.26% | 75.74% | R+56.5 | R |
| 37 | 28.68% | 69.17% | R+40.5 | 24.94% | 68.00% | R+43.1 | R |
| 38 | 23.21% | 74.90% | R+51.7 | 15.08% | 80.37% | R+65.3 | R |
| 39 | 29.09% | 69.93% | R+40.8 | 31.42% | 63.56% | R+32.1 | R |
| 40 | 22.84% | 75.26% | R+52.4 | 14.16% | 81.28% | R+67.1 | R |
| 41 | 23.54% | 74.61% | R+51.1 | 14.72% | 81.15% | R+66.4 | R |
| 42 | 28.61% | 68.98% | R+40.4 | 18.33% | 76.53% | R+58.2 | R |
| 43 | 23.14% | 74.74% | R+51.6 | 14.87% | 80.38% | R+65.5 | R |
| 44 | 18.45% | 80.00% | R+61.6 | 12.02% | 84.03% | R+72 | R |
| 45 | 40.96% | 57.13% | R+16.2 | 37.00% | 55.32% | R+18.3 | D |
| 46 | 60.88% | 37.77% | D+23.1 | 53.57% | 38.24% | D+15.3 | D |
| 47 | 21.99% | 75.82% | R+53.8 | 13.60% | 81.46% | R+67.9 | R |
| 48 | 30.41% | 67.81% | R+37.4 | 22.76% | 71.50% | R+48.7 | R |
| 49 | 34.76% | 63.76% | R+29 | 34.09% | 59.61% | R+25.5 | R |
| Total | 38.21% | 60.08% | R+21.9 | 34.35% | 59.89% | R+25.5 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
| Douglas County, Nebraska | Nebraska | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
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 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Douglas County Election Commission, "Offices Up for Election: 2020 Primary," accessed April 14, 2020
- ↑ 270towin.com, "Nebraska," accessed July 30, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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