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Nebraska State Senate District 6
Nebraska State Senate District 6 is represented by Machaela Cavanaugh (D).
As of the 2020 Census, Nebraska state senators represented an average of 40,068 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 37,384 residents.
About the office
Members of the Nebraska State Senate serve four-year terms with term limits.[1] It is unique in that it is the only American state legislature that is unicameral. Half of the seats up for election every second year. Nebraska legislators assume office the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January.[2]
Qualifications
A candidate for the Nebraska Legislature must meet the following qualifications:[3]
- Be registered to vote
- Be at least 21 years of age
- Be a resident of Nebraska, and specifically a resident of the legislative district he or she wishes to serve, for at least one year prior to the general election
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[4] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $12,000/year | For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $55/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the capitol: $151/day. |
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Nebraska State Senate is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Nebraska Term Limits Act in 2000. That initiative limited senators to terms of no more than two four-year terms.[1]
The first year that the term limits enacted in 2000 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2008.
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Nebraska State Legislature, the governor is responsible for appointing a replacement. If the vacancy occurs after May 1 of the official's second year in office, the replacement must serve the remainder of the unexpired term. If the vacancy happens before that date, the replacement serves the remainder of the unfilled term before the next general election when a new representative is elected.[5]
See sources: Nebraska Rev. Stat. §32-566
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
On September 30, 2021, the Nebraska State Legislature approved a new state legislative map, 37-7. Gov. Pete Ricketts signed the map into law shortly afterwards.[6] This map took effect for Nebraska's 2022 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in Nebraska work? In Nebraska, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. A simple majority is required to approve a redistricting plan, which is subject to veto by the governor.[7]
The Nebraska Constitution requires that state legislative districts "be contiguous and compact, and they keep to county boundaries 'whenever practicable.'"[7][8]
On April 8, 2011, the state legislature approved the following redistricting guidelines:[7]
- Congressional districts should be held to the same aforementioned constitutional requirements as state legislative districts.
- Both congressional and state legislative districts should be "understandable to voters, preserve the cores of prior districts, and keep to boundaries of cities and villages when feasible."
- District boundaries "should not be established with the intention of favoring a political party, other group or any person."
The legislature is entitled to amend these guidelines at its discretion.[7]
Nebraska State Senate District 6
until January 3, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Nebraska State Senate District 6
starting January 4, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2022
- See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Nebraska State Senate District 6
Incumbent Machaela Cavanaugh defeated Christian Mirch in the general election for Nebraska State Senate District 6 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Machaela Cavanaugh (Nonpartisan) | 55.6 | 7,969 |
 | Christian Mirch (Nonpartisan)  | 44.4 | 6,360 | |
| Total votes: 14,329 | |||
| = 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 Nebraska State Senate District 6
Incumbent Machaela Cavanaugh and Christian Mirch defeated Elizabeth Hallgren in the primary for Nebraska State Senate District 6 on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Machaela Cavanaugh (Nonpartisan) | 47.8 | 4,355 |
| ✔ | | Christian Mirch (Nonpartisan) | 37.9 | 3,449 |
| Elizabeth Hallgren (Nonpartisan) | 14.3 | 1,304 | ||
| Total votes: 9,108 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
- See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Nebraska State Senate District 6
Machaela Cavanaugh defeated incumbent Theresa Thibodeau in the general election for Nebraska State Senate District 6 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Machaela Cavanaugh (Nonpartisan) | 50.9 | 7,733 |
 | Theresa Thibodeau (Nonpartisan) | 49.1 | 7,445 | |
| Total votes: 15,178 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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 Nebraska State Senate District 6
Incumbent Theresa Thibodeau and Machaela Cavanaugh defeated Ricky Fulton in the primary for Nebraska State Senate District 6 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Theresa Thibodeau (Nonpartisan) | 51.3 | 3,641 |
| ✔ | | Machaela Cavanaugh (Nonpartisan) | 42.7 | 3,027 |
 | Ricky Fulton (Nonpartisan) | 6.0 | 429 | |
| Total votes: 7,097 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Sara J. Sinclair (Nonpartisan)
2014
- See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Nebraska State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 13, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for challengers wishing to run in this election was March 3, 2014, two days after the statutory deadline, which fell on a Saturday. Incumbents were required to file for election by February 18, 2014, three days after the statutory deadline, which fell on the Saturday prior to Presidents Day. John Stalnaker and Joni Craighead defeated Justin Spooner, Paul Anderson, George Westphal and Patricia Hannan in the primary election. Craighead defeated Stalnaker in the general election.[9][10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent |  Joni Craighead |
51.5% | 5,726 | |
| Independent | John Stalnaker | 48.5% | 5,401 | |
| Total Votes | 11,127 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Joni Craighead |
26.3% | 1,581 |
| John Stalnaker |
23.9% | 1,438 |
| Justin Spooner | 17.1% | 1,026 |
| Patricia Hannan | 14.8% | 892 |
| Paul Anderson | 11.5% | 694 |
| George Westphal | 6.3% | 380 |
| Total Votes | 6,011 | |
2010
- See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2010
Elections for the office of Nebraska State Senate consisted of a primary election on May 11, 2010, and a general election on November 2, 2010. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 15, 2010. Incumbent John Nelson defeated Todd Frazier in the general election. John Nelson and Todd Frazier defeated George Westphal in the May 11 Nonpartisan primary.[12] A total of $54,057 was raised by 2010 candidates in the district, with Nelson outspending Frazier by a margin of $47,357 to $6,700. Westphal raised $0 in the election.[13]
| Nebraska State Senate, District 6, General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | John Nelson Incumbent |
63.5% | 5,031 | |
| Nonpartisan | Todd Frazier | 36.5% | 2,896 | |
| Total Votes | 7,927 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2022, candidates for Nebraska State Senate District 6 raised a total of $1,705,887. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $77,540 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Nebraska State Senate District 6 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2022 | $602,494 | 3 | $200,831 |
| 2018 | $463,166 | 3 | $154,389 |
| 2014 | $336,716 | 6 | $56,119 |
| 2010 | $54,057 | 3 | $18,019 |
| 2006 | $151,645 | 5 | $30,329 |
| 2002 | $97,809 | 2 | $48,905 |
| Total | $1,705,887 | 22 | $77,540 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 termlimits.org, "State Legislative Term Limits," accessed February 4, 2021 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "limits" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Nebraska Constitution, "Article III-10," accessed November 4, 2021
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Qualifications," accessed May 22, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Nebraska Revised Statutes," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statute 32.566)
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "LB3 - Set boundaries of legislative districts," accessed September 30, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 All About Redistricting, "Nebraska," accessed April 23, 2015
- ↑ Nebraska State Constitution, "Article III-5," accessed April 23, 2015
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Official Results of Nebraska Primary Election," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Statewide Candidate List," accessed March 21, 2014
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Official Results: General Election - November 4, 2014," accessed December 14, 2014
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "2010 General Election Results," accessed December 4, 2013
- ↑ followthemoney.org, “Nebraska 2010 Senate Candidates," accessed November 26, 2013
