Familiar names and few surprises marked the last day of filing to run for public office in Nebraska’s May 10 primary election.
Here are five races to watch:
State Board of Education, District 5: Helen Raikes of Ashland, a retired professor of early childhood education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the widow of former State Sen. Ron Raikes, announced Tuesday that she is challenging incumbent Kirk Penner of Aurora for the seat.
“I will protect our schools in rural communities and stand up for local control to ensure quality, transparent education for all children,” Raikes wrote on Facebook, announcing her bid.
She said that she wants to ensure “quality community-level education at every stage, from Pre-K to trades/college” and that she wants to make sure schools can attract and retain teachers and staff.
Penner was appointed to the seat in late 2021 by Gov. Pete Ricketts. Penner, the president of the Aurora Development Corp, pressed the education board to abandon proposed health education standards that had been tabled before his appointment.
Penner said during a recent board meeting that “parents want the control of what we’re teaching our kids.” He criticized other board members for trying to “jam this stuff down kids’ throats.”
Legislative District 6: State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, who spent much of her first term demanding accountability from the private contractor that handled child welfare in the Omaha area, St. Francis Ministries, faces two challengers for the west Omaha seat. Christian Mirch, the former chairman of the Douglas County Republican Party, has filed, as has small-business adviser Elizabeth Hallgren.
Cavanaugh has stressed the need for more legislative oversight of executive branch agencies and better outcomes for kids in foster care.
Mirch has pledged more support for law enforcement, more input from parents on education and lower taxes.
“I think I’ll be better at working with everyone across the aisle at building consensus and a coalition to get things done in Nebraska,” Mirch said Tuesday.
Legislative District 28: Former Lincoln City Councilman Roy Christensen, who lost his bid for a third term in 2021, and current Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould, who lost Nebraska’s 2018 U.S. Senate race to Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., are vying for the seat. The current senator, Patty Pansing Brooks, is term-limited and is running for Congress.
Raybould, a Democrat in the officially nonpartisan race, is an executive at the grocery store chain her family owns, which includes Russ’s Market. Christensen, a Republican, runs Christensen Hearing and Analytics. The south-central Lincoln district leans toward Democrats. Christensen and Raybould often sparred on the City Council.
Legislative District 46: Former State Sen. Danielle Conrad, who is resigning from her post leading ACLU Nebraska, filed Tuesday to run for her old seat in northeast Lincoln. She will face Lincoln City Councilman James Michael Bowers in a battle of well-known names in Lincoln. Also running is James Herrold.
Conrad, who served in the Legislature from 2006 through 2015, said Tuesday that she missed the work and looks forward to hearing what people in her district want. Bowers, who was elected to the City Council in 2019, has run for the legislative seat previously.
Legislative District 10: State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington, a Democrat, drew a challenge from Republican Lou Ann Goding, a former Omaha Public Schools board member. The district covers parts of northwest Omaha and neighboring communities. Goding had a reputation for working with school board members of both parties. The district leans Republican, and this year became more so after redistricting.
Also noteworthy from Tuesday’s filings:
- U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., drew no high-profile challenger in the Republican primary in the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District, despite former President Donald Trump’s tweet-fed effort to recruit one. Bacon faces roofing salesman Steve Kuehl.
- The Democratic primary in the 2nd Congressional District attracted no additional candidates. Competing for the nomination are State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha and Alisha Shelton, an Omaha mental health practitioner. Vargas has the lead in money and name ID. Shelton finished third in the 2020 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
- The 1st Congressional District, which includes Lincoln and Bellevue, drew three lesser-known candidates in the GOP primary, in addition to incumbent Rep. Jeff Fortenberry and State Sen. Mike Flood. Fortenberry has been indicted for lying to the FBI about foreign funds raised for his campaign. Much of the GOP establishment is backing Flood, a former Speaker of the Legislature. Also running are Curtis D. Huffman of La Vista, Thireena Yuki Connely of Palmyra and John Glen Weaver of Omaha.
- On the Democratic side in the 1st District, State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln is facing Jazari Kual, a college student and activist fighting local hunger issues.
- Former Gov. Dave Heineman did not file to run for his old job. He had flirted with a run for months, including traveling the state. Charles Herbster, Jim Pillen and State Sen. Brett Lindstrom headline the race, along with dark horse Theresa Thibodeau. Also running in the GOP primary are Michael Connely of York, Donna Nicole Carpenter of Lincoln, Lela McNinch of Lincoln, Troy Wentz of Sterling and Breland Ridenour of Omaha.
- State Sen. Carol Blood of Omaha drew a last-minute challenger for the Democratic nomination for governor. Roy A. Harris of Linwood filed this week.
- Teresa Ibach of rural Sumner filed to run in Legislative District 44. She cast the 3rd Congressional District’s Electoral College vote in 2020. Her husband, Greg, previously headed the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. She is facing Edward Dunn of Grant.
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.
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