Tony Vargas | |
---|---|
Vice Chair of the Executive Board of the Nebraska Legislature | |
In office January 9, 2019 –January 4, 2023 | |
Preceded by | John Kuehn |
Succeeded by | Ray Aguilar |
Member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 7th district | |
Assumed office January 4,2017 | |
Preceded by | Nicole Fox |
Personal details | |
Born | Anthony Vargas September 2,1984 New York City,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Lauren Micek (m. 2016) |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Rochester (BA) Pace University (MS) |
Website | Campaign website |
Anthony Vargas (born September 2, 1984) is an American politician and former educator serving as a member of the Nebraska Legislature. Vargas represents the 7th district, which covers all of downtown Omaha and much of southeastern Omaha.
Vargas was born to Antonio and Lidia Vargas in Queens, New York City, who were originally from Peru. He was the youngest of three brothers. [1] He graduated from the University of Rochester and received a Master of Science in education from Pace University.
Vargas is a former public school teacher. He also served as an AmeriCorps fellow through Teach for America. [2] Vargas was appointed to the Omaha Public Schools Board in 2013, following the resignation of a board member. [3]
In 2016 he ran for the Legislature against incumbent senator Nicole Fox. Fox, a Republican, finished third in the nonpartisan primary, which saw Vargas and former senator John Synowiecki advance to the general election. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Vargas defeated Synowiecki in the general election with nearly 62% of the vote. He is the first outright elected Hispanic legislator in Nebraska. [9]
Vargas has served on the Appropriations Committee since 2017. [10] In 2019, Vargas was elected by his peers, in a contested race, to the position of Vice Chair of the executive board, the nine member executive arm of the Legislature. In 2021, Vargas was re-elected by his peers to the position of Vice Chair of the executive board. [11] He currently serves as the chair of the Legislature's Planning Committee, the long-term strategic planning committee for the Nebraska Legislature. [12]
On July 29, 2020, Vargas attempted to suspend the Nebraska legislature's regular rules of order to introduce a bill that would enforce Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines in meatpacking plants to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The motion failed to pass. [13]
In July 2021, Vargas announced his candidacy for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in the 2022 election. [14] He won the Democratic primary on May 10, 2022, but lost the general election to Republican incumbent Don Bacon in November by 2.6% (5,856 votes). [15]
In July 2023, Vargas announced his candidacy for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in the 2024 election. [16]
Vargas is married to his wife Lauren. He is a Catholic and resides in South Omaha, Nebraska. He has two children. [17]
His father, Virgilio Antonio Vargas, died on April 29, 2020, from COVID-19 at the beginning of the global pandemic. [18]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Tony Vargas | 1,220 | 45.35 | |
Nonpartisan | John Synowiecki | 745 | 27.70 | |
Republican | Nicole Fox (incumbent) | 725 | 26.95 | |
Total votes | 2,690 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Tony Vargas | 5,244 | 61.75 | |
Nonpartisan | John Synowiecki | 3,248 | 38.25 | |
Total votes | 8,492 | 100.00 |
Primary election | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Tony Vargas (incumbent) | 3,281 | 81.8 | |
Republican | Jorge Sotolongo | 731 | 18.1 | |
Total votes | 100.0 | |||
General election | ||||
Democratic | Tony Vargas (incumbent) | 7,386 | 77.9 | |
Republican | Jorge Sotolongo | 2,098 | 22.1 | |
Total votes | 100.0 | |||
Democratic hold | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Don Bacon (incumbent) | 112,663 | 51.3 | |
Democratic | Tony Vargas | 106,807 | 48.6 | |
Total votes | 219,470 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
John Peter Ricketts is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Nebraska since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 40th governor of Nebraska from 2015 to 2023.
John Synowiecki is an American politician who is a former member of the Nebraska Legislature. He was also a program director for governmental relations for Catholic Charities.
John Bradley Ashford was an American politician who served in the Nebraska Legislature and the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska's 2nd congressional district.
Jeremiah J. Nordquist is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. Nordquist represented an Omaha district in the Nebraska Legislature from 2009 to 2015. He served in the Unicameral as a member of the Democratic Party, but is now a registered Republican.
Robert J. Krist is an American politician who served as the Nebraska State Senator from the 10th district from 2009 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party until 2017, his district includes Bennington and part of Omaha. Krist joined the Democratic Party in 2018; he was its nominee for Governor of Nebraska in the 2018 election.
The 2014 Nebraska gubernatorial election took place on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, to elect the 40th Governor of Nebraska. Republican Candidate and former COO of TD Ameritrade Pete Ricketts defeated Democratic candidate and former Regent of the University of Nebraska Chuck Hassebrook, receiving 57.2% of the vote to Hassebrook's 39.2% This was the first open seat election, and the first time a Democrat won a county for governor since 1998.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the three U.S. representatives from the state of Nebraska, one from each of the state's three congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on May 10.
Donald John Bacon is an American politician and retired military officer serving as the U.S. representative for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district since 2017. Before holding public office, he was a United States Air Force officer, retiring as brigadier general with stints as wing commander at Ramstein Air Base, Germany and Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, prior to his retirement from the military in 2014. His political constituency now includes all of Omaha and the areas surrounding Offutt.
Nicole Fox is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2015, she was appointed to fill a vacant seat in the Nebraska Legislature, representing a district in downtown and southern Omaha. In 2016, she sought election to the seat and came in third in the nonpartisan primary and thus failed to advance to the general election.
The 2018 Nebraska gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor of Nebraska, concurrently with the election of Nebraska's Class I U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various Nebraska and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Pete Ricketts won re-election to a second term.
The 2020 United States Senate election in Nebraska was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Nebraska, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, to elect the three U.S. representatives from the U.S. state of Nebraska; one from each of the state's three congressional districts. Primaries were held on May 15, 2018. The elections and primaries coincided with the elections and primaries of other federal and state offices.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Nebraska on November 6, 2018. All of Nebraska's executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat, and all of Nebraska's three seats in the United States House of Representatives.
Lynne Walz is a Nebraska Senator for the Unicameral. She currently represents District 15 which includes Fremont, NE and surrounding areas. She is a member of the Democratic Party but the Nebraska Unicameral is a nonpartisan elected body.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the three U.S. representatives from the state of Nebraska, one from each of the state's three congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
The 2022 Nebraska gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Nebraska. Incumbent Republican Governor Pete Ricketts was term-limited and unable to seek a third term. In the general election, Republican Jim Pillen went on to win the gubernatorial election by a 23-point margin.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the three U.S. representatives from the state of Nebraska, one from each of the state's three congressional districts. The elections coincided with the Nebraska gubernatorial election, as well as other elections to the U.S. House of Representatives, elections to the U.S. Senate, and various state and local elections.
The 2022 Nebraska's 1st congressional district special election was held on June 28, 2022. The seat became vacant upon the resignation of incumbent Republican representative Jeff Fortenberry on March 31, who had announced his plans to resign after being indicted and arrested for lying to the FBI about campaign contributions.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect the three U.S. representatives from the State of Nebraska, one from each of the state's congressional districts. The elections will coincide with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.
The 2024 Nebraska State Legislature elections will take place as part of the biennial United States elections. Nebraska voters will elect state senators for the 25 odd-numbered seats of the 49 legislative districts in the Nebraska Unicameral. State senators serve four-year terms in the Nebraska Legislature.