Notable Nebraska races, 2016
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| Notable Nebraska Races | |
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| Primary | May 10, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Notable Races | |
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| Choose a state below: | |
Ballotpedia identified five notable Nebraska state legislative races in 2016.
Overview
State Senate to remain Republican
- Main article: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2016
There are no formal party alignments or groups within the Nebraska State Senate, but almost all of the members of the Legislature are affiliated with the state affiliate of either the Democratic or the Republican Party. Both parties also explicitly endorse candidates for legislative seats. Senators and candidates are listed as officially nonpartisan, but in most cases the individual has a direct party affiliation. As an example, in most cases if a sitting senator runs for Congress, the individual runs on either the Democratic or Republican line on the ballot.
For more information on how Ballotpedia determined the partisan affiliation for Nebraska senators, click here.
Republicans retained the state Senate after November based on the seats up for election and the size of the GOP majorities.
| Partisan breakdown of the Nebraska Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Republicans | Democrats | Independents |
| State Senate | 36 seats | 12 seats | 1 seat |
Outcome of notable Nebraska races
Of the four notable legislative contests, one incumbent—state Sen. Nicole Fox (R)—failed to advance to the November election. Of the four incumbents that faced primary competition, Fox was the sole incumbent not to make the November ballot. The three remaining notable contests involved open seats whose candidates advanced to the November election.
| Outcome of notable Nebraska primary races | ||
|---|---|---|
| Primary contest | Outcome | |
| State Senate District 7 | ☐ Nicole Fox (Inc.) ☑ Tony Vargas ☑ John Synowiecki | |
| State Senate District 13 | ☐ Mark Elworth ☑ Jill Brown ☑ Justin Wayne ☐ Jake Seeman | |
| State Senate District 35 | ☐ Zachary Zoul ☑ Dan Quick ☑ Gregg Neuhaus | |
| State Senate District 47 | ☑ Karl Elmshaeuser ☐ Wendall Gaston ☑ Steve Erdman ☐ Peggy Popps | |
What makes a race notable?
Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable races:
- Incumbents facing more conservative or liberal challengers
- Rematches between candidates
- Races that receive considerable media attention
- Races that could significantly affect the state's partisan balance
- Noteworthy races involving party leaders
- Open, competitive races with Republican and Democratic primaries
- Races that capture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements
Know of an interesting race we should include here? Email us!
Notable primary elections
Senate District 7
- An incumbent appointed in August 2015 ran for a full-term against a former state senator in a Democratic district.
Incumbent state Sen. Nicole Fox (R) was appointed by Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) in August 2015 to replace Jeremy Nordquist (D). Fox ran for a full-term. She was defeated by Tony Vargas (D) and former state Sen. John Synowiecki (D), who represented District 7 from 2002 to 2008, in the primary contest. Vargas and Synowiecki advanced to the November election.
According to the Omaha World-Herald, "District 7 is heavily Democratic, with 7,035 registered Democrats to 3,433 Republicans." Voters that registered "nonpartisan" totaled 4,027.[1]
Healthcare and immigration have been major issues in the race.[1]
The district has the largest percentage of uninsured people in any of Nebraska's legislative districts. Statewide, ten percent of Nebraska's population was uninsured while 11 percent of the state's population was covered under Medicaid. As such, the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion emerged as major issues. Fox opposed a bill to expand Medicaid in the state; the bill failed in the state Senate in March 2016. Vargas and Synowiecki said that they supported the Medicaid expansion and would vote for it as senate senator.[1]
Immigration also emerged as an issue. Fox voted against Legislative Bill 947, which would allow immigrants who had been brought to the United States illegally to earn commercial and professional licenses in fields such as cosmetology and nursing. Though passed by the legislature, the bill was vetoed by Gov. Ricketts. Vargas and Synowiecki said that they would support Legislative Bill 947 as state senator.[1]
Senate District 13
- Four candidates vied for an open seat left by the Democratic incumbent.
Incumbent state Sen. Tanya Cook (D) did not run for re-election due to term limits. Four candidates faced each other in the primary contest for the open seat: Mark Elworth, Jill Brown, Justin Wayne and Jake Seeman. Wayne and Brown received the most votes and advanced to the November election.
Healthcare and education were major issues in the race.[2]
Brown and Seeman said they would support the bill authorizing Medicaid expansion in the state, which failed in the legislature in March 2016.[2]
Wayne said he would focus on increasing education funding and improve accountability in public education.[2]
Elworth, a former Libertarian candidate for governor in 2014, said that hemp farming and legalized medical marijuana were his top issues.[2]
Senate District 35
- Three candidates vied for an open seat left by the Republican incumbent.
Incumbent state Sen. Mike Gloor (R) did not run for re-election due to term limits. Three candidates faced each other in the primary contest for the open seat: Zachary Zoul, Dan Quick and Gregg Neuhaus. Neuhaus and Quick received the most votes and advanced to the November election.
At an April 2016 candidate forum, Zoul and Neuhaus described themselves as conservatives. Quick said he was running to be "a voice for working families."[3]
Zoul said he would focus on reducing government regulation, limiting state spending, reducing property taxes and reforming state aid to local public education. Neuhas said he would focus on tax cuts, reforms to state aid to local public education, and reductions in government regulations. Quick said he would also focus on reforms to state funding for public education and the Medicaid expansion. Zoul and Neuhaus both said that they opposed Medicaid expansion.[3]
Senate District 47
- Four candidates vied for an open seat left by the Republican incumbent.
Incumbent state Sen. Ken Schilz (R) did not run for re-election due to term limits. Four candidates, all Republicans, faced each other in the primary contest for the open seat: Karl Elmshaeuser (R), Wendall Gaston (R), Steve Erdman (R) and Peggy Popps (R). Elmhauser and Erdman received the most votes and advanced to the November election.
At a March 2016 candidate forum, all four candidates identified property taxes and education as major issues. The candidates said they supported reforms in order to relieve the property tax burden on state residents. The candidates also expressed the importance of public school funding as a major priority in the state's budget.[4]
General election races to watch
Senate District 3
- District 3 featured a candidate rematch between the incumbent and a challenger who lost in 2014 by just 673 votes.
Incumbent state Sen. Tommy Garrett (R) ran for re-election. He faced Carol Blood (D) in the November election.
Blood, a councilwoman in Bellevue City, Nebraska, challenged Garrett in 2014, losing by just 673 votes in the general election out of 9,024 votes cast.
Freshman legislators
The following is a list of challengers who won election on November 8.
- Anna Wishart (Democratic), .Nebraska State Senate, District 27
- Bruce Bostelman (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 23
- Carol Blood (Democratic), .Nebraska State Senate, District 3
- Dan Quick (Democratic), .Nebraska State Senate, District 35
- John Lowe (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 37
- Joni Albrecht (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 17
- Justin T. Wayne (Democratic), .Nebraska State Senate, District 13
- Lou Ann Linehan (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 39
- Lynne Walz (Democratic), .Nebraska State Senate, District 15
- Mike Hilgers (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 21
- Mike McDonnell (Democratic), .Nebraska State Senate, District 5
- Steve Erdman (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 47
- Steve Halloran (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 33
- Suzanne Geist (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 25
- Tom Brewer (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 43
- Tom Briese (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 41
- Tony Vargas (Democratic), .Nebraska State Senate, District 7
Defeated incumbents
The following is a list of incumbents who were defeated on November 8.
- Al Davis (Nebraska) (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 43
- David Schnoor (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 15
- Jerry Johnson (Nebraska) (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 23
- Les Seiler (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 33
- Tommy Garrett (Republican), .Nebraska State Senate, District 3
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Omaha World-Herald, "Medicaid expansion divides candidates running to represent District 7, which has state's highest rate of uninsured," April 18, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Omaha World-Herald, "Legislature District 13: Four candidates seek to represent north Omaha and northeast Douglas County," April 22, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Grand Island Independent, "Neuhaus and Zoul tout conservative credential, while Quick says he stands for working families," April 21, 2016
- ↑ Scottsbluff Star Herald, "Property tax relief a top priority for District 47 candidates," March 24, 2016
