Nebraska state executive official elections, 2014

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Table of Contents
Partisan breakdown
Candidates by office
Voter turnout
Key deadlines
State executive organization
Ballotpedia reports
Recent news
See also
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News • Calendar

Seven state executive positions were up for election in 2014 in the state of Nebraska. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

In addition to candidate lists and election results, this page includes information about important dates, how the state's executive branch is organized, as well as links to articles about recent news in races across the state.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Nebraska, participation rules for primaries vary by the office up for election. State legislative primaries use a nonpartisan top-two primary system in which any voter can participate. Congressional primaries are partisan, but any voter may vote in the congressional primary of their choice. For all other statewide offices, a state party can determine if it will allow unaffiliated voters to vote their primary ballot.[1]

As of October 2025, the Democratic Party held a semi-closed primary in which registered party members and unaffiliated voters could participate, and the Republican Party held a closed primary in which only registered party members could participate.[2][3]


The following offices were elected in 2014 in Nebraska:

Partisan breakdown

Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held six out of seven executive seats in Nebraska.

Nebraska State Executives -- Partisan Breakdown
Party As of November 4, 2014 After the 2014 Election
     Democratic Party 1 1
     Republican Party 6 6
Total 7 7



Candidates by office

Office Incumbent Assumed Office Incumbent running? General Election Candidates 2015 Winner Partisan Switch?
Governor Dave Heineman
Dave Heineman official photo.jpg		 2005 Term-limited Republican Party Pete Ricketts

Democratic PartyChuck Hassebrook[4]

Libertarian Party Mark G. Elworth Jr.
 Republican Party Pete Ricketts No
Lieutenant Governor John Nelson
JohnNelsonNE.jpg		 2014 No[5] Republican Party Mike Foley

Democratic Party Jane Raybould

Libertarian Party Scott Zimmerman
 Republican Party Mike Foley No
Secretary of State John A. Gale
John Gale.jpg		 2000 Yes[6] Republican Party John A. Gale[6]
Libertarian Party Ben Backus[7]
 Republican Party John A. Gale No
Attorney General Jon Bruning
Jon Brunning.jpg		 2003 Ran for governor Republican Party Doug Peterson[8]
Democratic Party Janet Stewart[9]
 Republican Party Doug Peterson No
Treasurer Don Stenberg
Don Stenberg2.jpg		 2010 Yes[10] Republican Party Don Stenberg

Democratic Party Michael O'Hara[9]

Libertarian Party Michael Knebel[9]
 Republican Party Don Stenberg No
Auditor of Public Accounts Mike Foley
Mike Foley.jpg		 2007 Ran for lieutenant governor Republican Party Charlie Janssen[8]
Democratic Party Amanda McGill[11]
 Republican Party Charlie Janssen No
Public Service Commission Anne C. Boyle
Anne Boyle.jpg		 1996 No Republican Party John Sieler[8]
Democratic Party Crystal Rhoades[12]
 Democratic Party Crystal Rhoades No

Primary results

Governor

Governor of Nebraska, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngPete Ricketts 26.6% 58,671
Jon Bruning 25.5% 56,324
Beau McCoy 20.9% 46,196
Mike Foley 19.2% 42,394
Tom Carlson 4.1% 9,080
Bryan Slone 3.7% 8,265
Total Votes 220,930
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State.

Lieutenant Governor

There was no primary for lieutenant governor, as each party only had one candidate who qualified by the filing deadline.

Attorney General

Republican Primary

Nebraska Attorney General, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDoug Peterson 35.6% 67,578
Brian Buescher 25.5% 48,316
Mike Hilgers 22.9% 43,371
Pete Pirsch 16% 30,321
Total Votes 189,586
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State.

Democratic Primary

Nebraska Attorney General, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngJanet Stewart 72.3% 47,151
Allan Eurek 27.7% 18,083
Total Votes 65,234
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State.

Secretary of State

There was no primary for secretary of state, as each party only had one candidate who qualified by the filing deadline.

Treasurer

Nebraska Treasurer, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDon Stenberg 85% 172,861
Christopher Costello 15% 30,566
Total Votes 203,427
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State.

Auditor

Nebraska Auditor, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngCharlie Janssen 56.6% 93,212
Larry Anderson 43.4% 71,389
Total Votes 164,601
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State.

Public Service Commissioner

Nebraska Public Service Commissioner, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngCrystal Rhoades 43.5% 5,974
Jim Esch 40.1% 5,507
John Green 16.5% 2,265
Total Votes 13,746
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State.

General election results

The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngPete Ricketts/Mike Foley 57.2% 308,751
     Democratic Chuck Hassebrook/Jane Raybould 39.3% 211,905
     Libertarian Mark G. Elworth Jr./Scott Zimmerman 3.5% 19,001
Total Votes 539,657
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State

Secretary of State

Secretary of State of Nebraska, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Gale Incumbent 75.2% 368,135
     Libertarian Ben Backus 24.8% 121,470
Total Votes 489,605
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State

Attorney General

Attorney General of Nebraska, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDoug Peterson 66.1% 339,846
     Democratic Janet Stewart 33.9% 174,614
Total Votes 514,460
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State

Treasurer

Nebraska Treasurer, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDon Stenberg Incumbent 68.1% 357,474
     Democratic Michael O'Hara 26.5% 139,101
     Libertarian Michael Knebel 5.3% 28,009
Total Votes 524,584
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State

Auditor

Nebraska Auditor, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngCharlie Janssen 59.1% 294,688
     Democratic Amanda McGill 40.9% 204,221
Total Votes 498,909
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State

Public Service Commissioner

Nebraska Public Service Commissioner, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngCrystal Rhoades 56.6% 46,405
     Republican John Sieler 43.4% 35,519
Total Votes 81,924
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State

Voter turnout

Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.[13] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.[14]

Quick facts

  • According to PBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.[15]
  • Forty-three states and the District of Columbia did not surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.
  • The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis were Texas (28.3 percent), Tennessee (28.6 percent), and Indiana (28.8 percent).
  • Maine (58.5 percent), Wisconsin (56.5 percent), and Colorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.
  • Twelve states increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.[16]

Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.

Key deadlines

Deadline Event
May 13, 2014 Primary election
November 4, 2014 General election
December 1, 2014 Certification of election results
January 8, 2015 Inauguration day for state executive officials

State executive organization

Executive officials in Nebraska are part of a three-pronged government structure that includes state legislators and state judges. The following chart details the relationship among different branches of Nebraska's state government:

NE SEO org chart.JPG

Ballotpedia reports

To learn more about developments in these races, check out the following news articles from Ballotpedia:

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Nebraska + state + executive + elections"

Nebraska State Executive Elections News Feed

See also

Nebraska

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32–912," accessed October 27, 2025
  2. ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "How nonpartisan voting works in Nebraska primary elections," accessed October 27, 2025
  3. ↑ Nebraska Democratic Party, "2026 Democratic Candidates," accessed October 27, 2025
  4. ↑ The Freemont Tribune, "Hasseback will enter 2014 governor's race," June 3, 2013
  5. ↑ Omaha.com, " Lt. Gov. Lavon Heidemann resigns, withdraws as Pete Ricketts' running mate," September 9, 2014
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Daily Journal, "Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale to launch 2014 re-election campaign in 4 cities," June 21, 2013
  7. ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, 2014 Candidate Filing, Accessed March 3, 2014
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Nebraska Secretary of State, 2014 Candidate Filings, accessed February 19, 2014 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "sos" defined multiple times with different content
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Nebraska Secretary of State, 2014 Candidate Filings, Accessed March 3, 2014
  10. ↑ Omaha World Herald, "Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg to run for 2nd term," December 4, 2013
  11. ↑ Nebraska Watchdog, Lincoln senator McGill to run for state auditor, January 2, 2013
  12. ↑ Omaha, Anne Boyle to retire from Nebraska Public Service Commission, September 4, 2013
  13. ↑ United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014
  14. ↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
  15. ↑ PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014
  16. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014



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