Nebraska State Senate District 20 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Nebraska, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Nebraska State Senate District 20 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

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• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Nebraska State Senate District 20

John Fredrickson defeated Stuart Dornan in the general election for Nebraska State Senate District 20 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Fredrickson (Nonpartisan)	50.3	8,139
		Stuart Dornan (Nonpartisan)	49.7	8,057

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,196
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

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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.

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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?

Stuart Dornan (Nonpartisan)

Public Safety. The individuals and organizations that work for us to ensure the public safety and administer justice are vital to our community: Democracy demands that we have safe and secure streets, schools, and neighborhoods. We must be smart on crime, our approach being distinguished by differently addressing those we are simply mad at vs. those we are truly afraid of—that is, offenders who can be rehabilitated as opposed to those who must be jailed for the community’s protection.

Education - Our families, parents, and children rely on high quality institutions of public education; an educated electorate is essential to our society. Service in our schools is a high calling, deserving of the support of our community and its resources. The funding and work of our strong school systems is greatly impacted by laws, regulation, and funding that originate in the legislature, state, and local government.

Mental Health Services. For far too long, mental health issues and treatment needs have not had the public awareness that is needed to make a larger impact. Our neighbors of every age, background, income, and circumstance are impacted by mental health issues, especially so during this worldwide pandemic, which has led to considerable employment and financial stress. While many public and private initiatives in mental health services have put us in an improved position, we can and must do more. My goal is to improve the availability and efficiency of these services.

John Fredrickson (Nonpartisan)

Strong Public Education: A strong public school system is the backbone of a healthy, thriving society. We need to ensure that our teachers and schools have the resources they need so that our children can graduate with the skills they need to be successful in today's world. As the parent of a 3 year old, I currently have skin in the game to ensure our schools are strong and our teachers are supported for years to come.

Expanded Mental Health Resources: We currently have no subject matter expert in mental health in the Unicameral, and it shows. We need this expertise and perspective to ensure we are adequately meeting the needs of all Nebraskans. We need to look at ways we can increase and improve access to mental health resources statewide so that we are all able to thrive. I am the only candidate in this race who has this expertise, and I believe the state will benefit from having this perspective at the table in Lincoln.

Opportunity & Workforce Retention: If we are serious about Nebraska's future, we need to ensure that we have infrastructure & policies in place that are supportive of working families, that our state is welcoming & inclusive, and that we have a strategic plan for the years to come that is supportive of the well-being of all Nebraskans. Every year we lose young folks to the brain drain, taking their talent elsewhere. We need people in Lincoln who have an intimate understanding of what is driving young people away, and what will keep them here. This is an issue we need to tackle head-on, both for the vibrancy of our communities, and also for our economic sustainability.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Stuart Dornan (Nonpartisan)

I am most interested in using my extensive background and elected official experience to address high property taxes through tax reform, enhance public safety and ensure justice, improve mental health programs in our state that so many people rely on, and improve our strong public education system.

John Fredrickson (Nonpartisan)

I'm passionate about policies that support strong communities. As a mental health provider, I know well that we are neurobiologically wired to connect, and when we lose connection, we all suffer. I'm interested in public policy that lifts people up, ensures our safety, and supports the well-being of all members of our community. We need policy makers who understand that we are all interconnected, and that Nebraska is at its best when we all have an opportunity to thrive. In addition to policies that improve our well-being, I am passionate about how policy is made. I am data-driven and as a Social Worker trained in evidence-based therapy models, I will apply evidence-based thinking to the policy making process. Too much of today's politics is driven by ideological opinion-first, data-last rhetoric that does not serve the public. I am committed to listening to all constituents/stakeholders and applying the best evidence/data to improve the policy making process.

See also

More about these elections:

• Nebraska State Senate elections, 2022

Select a district below to read responses from candidates in those races:

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