2020 Nebraska Legislature election

Last updated

2020 Nebraska Legislature election
Flag of Nebraska.svg
  2018 November 3, 2020
Officially nonpartisan
2022  

25 of the 49 seats in the Nebraska Legislature
25 seats needed for a majority
 Majority partyMinority partyThird party
 
Rep
Dem
Ind
Party Republican Democratic Independent Democrat
Seats before30181
Seats won32170
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 2Decrease2.svg 1Decrease2.svg1
Popular vote245,639166,676
Percentage58.98%40.02%

Nebraska Unicameral 2020 Election.svg
Nebraska Unicameral 2020 Results by voteshare.svg
     Democratic gain     Republican gain
     Democratic hold     Republican hold
     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     >90%
     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     >90%

Speaker before election

Jim Scheer
Republican

Elected Speaker

Mike Hilgers
Republican

The 2020 Nebraska State Legislature elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Nebraska voters elected state senators [lower-alpha 1] in the 25 odd-numbered seats of the 49 [lower-alpha 2] legislative districts in the Nebraska Unicameral. State senators serve four-year terms in the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.

Contents

A top two primary election on May 12, 2020 determined which candidates appear on the November 3 general election ballot. [1] [2] Each candidate technically runs as a non-partisan (i.e., no party preference). The Nebraska State Legislature's website offers a statewide map of the 49 legislative districts here and maps for each individual district can be found on the website. [3]

Following the 2018 elections, the Republicans maintained effective control of the Nebraska State Legislature with 30 seats. The Democrats increased their numbers from 16 to 18.

Republicans flipped three seats from Democrats; Democrats flipped one seat from Republicans and one from nonpartisan Ernie Chambers. [4]

Open seats that changed parties

Democratic seats won by Republicans

  1. District 31: Won by Rich Pahls.
  2. District 45: Won by Rita Sanders.

Nonpartisan seats won by Democrats

  1. District 11: Won by Terrell McKinney.

Incumbents defeated

In general elections

Democrats

  1. District 35: Dan Quick (elected in 2016) lost to Raymond Aguilar.

Republicans

  1. District 49: Andrew LaGrone (appointed in 2019) lost to Jen Day.

Close races

DistrictWinnerPartyMargin
3Carol BloodDemocratic0.8%
49Jen DayDemocratic (flip)1.0%
31Rich PahlsRepublican (flip)5.4%
29Eliot BostarDemocratic6.2%
35Raymond AguilarRepublican (flip)7.2%
45Rita SandersRepublican (flip)7.6%
9John CavanaughDemocratic8.2%
21Mike HilgersRepublican9.92%

Detailed results

District 1

Nebraska's 1st Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Julie Slama (incumbent) 6,553 60.5
Republican Janet Palmtag 2,244 20.7
Republican Dennis Schaardt1,95418.0
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Julie Slama (incumbent) 12,033 68.1
Republican Janet Palmtag5,62731.9
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 3

Nebraska's 3rd Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Carol Blood (incumbent) 4,851 57.1
Republican Rick Holdcroft 3,646 42.9
Total votes100.0
General election
Democratic Carol Blood (incumbent) 9,196 50.4
Republican Rick Holdcroft9,03649.6
Total votes100.0
Democratic hold

District 5

Nebraska's 5th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Mike McDonnell (incumbent) 3,578 70.0
Republican Gilbert Ayala 1,536 30.0
Total votes100.0
General election
Democratic Mike McDonnell (incumbent) 6,947 63.2
Republican Gilbert Ayala4,05336.8
Total votes100.0
Democratic hold

District 7

Nebraska's 7th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Tony Vargas (incumbent) 3,281 81.8
Republican Jorge Sotolongo 731 18.1
Total votes100.0
General election
Democratic Tony Vargas (incumbent) 7,386 77.9
Republican Jorge Sotolongo2,09822.1
Total votes100.0
Democratic hold

District 9

Sara Howard (incumbent) was term-limited.

Nebraska's 9th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic John Cavanaugh 3,911 46.0
Democratic Marque Snow 3,435 40.4
Democratic Mark Vondrasek1,15213.6
Total votes100.0
General election
Democratic John Cavanaugh 8,461 54.1
Democratic Marque Snow7,17045.9
Total votes100.0
Democratic hold

District 11

Ernie Chambers (incumbent) was term-limited.

Nebraska's 11th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Fred Conley 1,444 35.1
Democratic Terrell McKinney 767 18.7
Democratic Dennis Womack61114.9
Democratic Teela Mickles50312.2
Democratic Gwen Easter3468.4
Democratic Cornelius Williams3007.3
Republican John Sciara1393.4
Total votes100.0
General election
Democratic Terrell McKinney 6,359 63.8
Democratic Fred Conley3,60136.2
Total votes100.0
Democratic gain from Independent Democrat

District 13

Nebraska's 13th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Justin Wayne (incumbent) 6,477 100.0
Total votes100.0
General election
Democratic Justin Wayne (incumbent) 11,771 100.0
Total votes100.0
Democratic hold

District 15

Results by precinct:
.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}
Bostar
50-60%
60-70%
Campbell
50-60%
60-70% 2020 NE SD-15 Precinct results.svg
Results by precinct:
  Bostar
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  Campbell
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
Nebraska's 15th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Lynne Walz (incumbent) 6,197 68.7
Republican David Rogers 2,817 31.3
Total votes100.0
General election
Democratic Lynne Walz (incumbent) 9,186 59.6
Republican David Rogers6,22340.4
Total votes100.0
Democratic hold

District 17

Nebraska's 17th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Joni Albrecht (incumbent) 3,963 72.7
Democratic Sheryl Lindau 1,489 27.3
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Joni Albrecht (incumbent) 8,310 68.0
Democratic Sheryl Lindau3,90732.0
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 19

Jim Scheer (incumbent) was term-limited.

Nebraska's 19th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Mike Flood 8,346 100.0
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Mike Flood 15,519 100.0
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 21

Nebraska's 21st Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Mike Hilgers (incumbent) 5,150 59.1
Democratic Brodey Weber 2,379 27.3
Democratic Joseph Couch1,18413.6
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Mike Hilgers (incumbent) 10,157 54.96
Democratic Brodey Weber8,32545.04
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 23

Nebraska's 23rd Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Bruce Bostelman (incumbent) 5,703 62.4
Democratic Helen Raikes 3,430 37.6
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Bruce Bostelman (incumbent) 11,337 62.1
Democratic Helen Raikes6,90537.9
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 25

Nebraska's 25th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Suzanne Geist (incumbent) 10,407 71.5
Democratic Stephany Pleasant 4,151 28.5
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Suzanne Geist (incumbent) 16,443 66.7
Democratic Stephany Pleasant8,20733.3
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 27

Nebraska's 27th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Anna Wishart (incumbent) 5,803 71.3
Republican Brenda Bickford 2,340 28.7
Total votes100.0
General election
Democratic Anna Wishart (incumbent) 10,173 64.4
Republican Brenda Bickford5,61235.6
Total votes100.0
Democratic hold

District 29

Results by precinct:
Bostar
50-60%
60-70%
70-80%
Campbell
50-60%
60-70% 2020 Nebraska SD-29 Precinct Results.svg
Results by precinct:
  Bostar
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Campbell
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%

Kate Bolz (incumbent) was term-limited.

Nebraska's 29th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Jacob Campbell 3,886 32.4
Democratic Eliot Bostar 3,236 27.0
Democratic Jennifer Carter2,70222.5
Democratic Neal Clayburn1,0238.5
Republican Lisa Lee8817.3
Nonpartisan Michael Connely2632.2
Total votes100.0
General election
Democratic Eliot Bostar 11,167 53.1
Republican Jacob Campbell9,86946.9
Total votes100.0
Democratic hold

District 31

Rick Kolowski (incumbent) retired.

Nebraska's 31st Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Rich Pahls 4,156 37.9
Democratic Tim Royers 3,925 35.8
Democratic Melanie Williams1,48713.6
Republican Mark Gruenewald1,0699.7
Democratic Alexander Martin3373.1
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Rich Pahls 10,727 52.8
Democratic Tim Royers9,60847.4
Total votes100.0
Republican gain from Democratic

District 33

Nebraska's 33rd Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Steve Halloran (incumbent) 6,653 100.0
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Steve Halloran 12,893 100.0
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 35

Nebraska's 35th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Dan Quick (incumbent) 4,009 62.5
Republican Raymond Aguilar 2,401 37.5
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Raymond Aguilar 6,683 53.6
Democratic Dan Quick (incumbent)5,77746.4
Total votes100.0
Republican gain from Democratic

District 37

Nebraska's 37th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican John Lowe (incumbent) 6,286 77.1
Libertarian Mercadies Damratowski 1,865 22.9
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican John Lowe (incumbent) 12,903 75.7
Libertarian Mercadies Damratowski4,13424.3
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 39

Nebraska's 39th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Lou Ann Linehan (incumbent) 8,355 61.7
Independent Democrat Allison Heimes 5,176 38.3
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Lou Ann Linehan (incumbent) 15,367 56.0
Independent Democrat Allison Heimes12,08744.0
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 41

Nebraska's 41st Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Tom Briese (incumbent) 8,355 100.0
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Tom Briese (incumbent) 15,855 100.0
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 43

Nebraska's 43rd Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Tom Brewer (incumbent) 8,043 61.2
Republican Tanya Storer 5,100 38.8
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Tom Brewer (incumbent) 10,688 57.9
Republican Tanya Storer7,76042.1
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 45

Sue Crawford (incumbent) was term-limited.

Nebraska's 45th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Susan Hester 4,158 51.0
Republican Rita Sanders 3,999 49.0
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Rita Sanders 9,224 53.8
Democratic Susan Hester7,91946.2
Total votes100.0
Republican gain from Democratic

District 47

Nebraska's 47th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Steve Erdman (incumbent) 4,158 100.0
Total votes100.0
General election
Republican Steve Erdman (incumbent) 14,964 100.0
Total votes100.0
Republican hold

District 49

Results by precinct:
Day
50-60%
60-70%
LaGrone
50-60% 2020 Nebraska SD-49 Election Results.svg
Results by precinct:
  Day
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  LaGrone
  •   50–60%

John Murante (elected in 2016) resigned when elected Treasurer of Nebraska in 2018. Governor Pete Ricketts appointed Andrew LaGrone to fill the vacancy. [7]

Nebraska's 49th Legislative District Election, 2020
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Jen Day 5,414 53.1
Republican Andrew LaGrone (incumbent) 4,787 46.9
Total votes100.0
General election
Democratic Jen Day 12,524 50.5
Republican Andrew LaGrone (incumbent)12,25849.5
Total votes100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

Notes

  1. Although Nebraska's legislature is unicameral, the officeholders are called Senators.
  2. The even-numbered districts were elected in 2018 and will be up for election again in 2022.

Related Research Articles

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. It is the only organization solely dedicated to electing Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current Chair is Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, who succeeded Nevada‘s Catherine Cortez Masto after the 2020 Senate elections. DSCC's current executive director is Christie Roberts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1958 United States Senate elections</span>

The 1958 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate which occurred in the middle of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's second term. Thirty-two seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections, the new state of Alaska held its first Senate elections for its Class 2 and 3 seats, and two special elections were held to fill vacancies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deb Fischer</span> American politician (born 1951)

Debra Lynelle Fischer is an American politician and former education official serving as the senior United States senator from Nebraska, a seat she has held since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Fischer is the third woman to represent Nebraska in the U.S. Senate and the first to be reelected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nebraska Democratic Party</span> Political party in United States

The Nebraska Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Nebraska. Over 700 Democrats are elected across the state of Nebraska. Jane Kleeb is the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and also serves as the Midwest Chair of the Association of State Democratic Committees.

Russ Karpisek is a politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. He served in the Nebraska Legislature from 2007 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Nebraska elections</span>

Elections were held in Nebraska on November 2, 2010. Primary elections for the Republican Party and Democratic Party, as well as a nonpartisan primary for members of the Nebraska Legislature, took place on May 11, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nebraska Legislature</span> Legislative branch of the state government of Nebraska

The Nebraska Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the smallest state legislature of any U.S. state. A total of 25 members is required for a majority; however, in order to overcome a filibuster, a two-thirds vote of all members is required, which takes 33 votes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States elections</span>

The 2016 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Republican nominee Donald Trump defeated Democratic former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, while Republicans retained control of Congress. This marked the first and most recent time Republicans won or held unified control of the presidency and Congress since 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 United States elections</span>

The 2017 United States elections were held, in large part, on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. This off-year election featured gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as state legislative elections in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the Virginia House of Delegates. Numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races, and a variety of other local elections also occurred. Special elections were also held for one seat of the U.S. Senate, representing Alabama, and six seats of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Democrats picked up the governorship in New Jersey and the Alabama Senate seat that was up for a special election. The governorship in Virginia and the six House seats that were up for special elections did not change party hands.

John S. McCollister is an American politician who served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature from 2015 to 2023, representing an Omaha district. McCollister is a moderate member of the Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Nebraska gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Nebraska

In the 1990 Nebraska gubernatorial election, Democratic challenger Ben Nelson narrowly defeated first-term Republican incumbent Kay Orr for the governorship of the state of Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 United States elections</span>

The 2024 United States elections are scheduled to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. During this presidential election year, the President and Vice President will be elected. In addition, all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate will be contested to determine the membership of the 119th United States Congress. Thirteen state and territorial governorships and numerous other state and local elections will also be contested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Nebraska elections</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 California State Board of Equalization elections</span>

The 2018 California State Board of Equalization elections were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. The primary elections was held on June 5, 2018. All four seats on the State Board of Equalization were contested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Nebraska Legislature election</span> American election

The 2018 Nebraska State Legislature elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Nebraska voters elected state senators in the 24 even-numbered seats of the 49 legislative districts in the Nebraska Unicameral. Nebraska is unique among American| states in that there is only one chamber in its state legislature, and this chamber is called the Unicameral and the State Legislature interchangeably. State senators serve four-year terms in the Nebraska Unicameral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Nebraska elections</span>

Nebraska state elections in 2020 was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Its primary elections were held on August 18, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Nebraska Legislature election</span>

The 2022 Nebraska State Legislature elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Nebraska voters elected state senators in the 24 even-numbered seats of the 49 legislative districts in the Nebraska Unicameral as well as in a special election for the 31st District. State senators serve four-year terms in the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.

The Government of the U.S. State of Nebraska, established by the Nebraska Constitution, is a republican democracy modeled after the Federal Government of the United States. The state government has three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. Through a system of separation of powers, or "checks and balances," each of these branches has some authority to act on its own, and also some authority to regulate the other two branches, so that all three branches can limit and balance the others' authority. The State Government is based in Lincoln, the capital city of Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Orange County Board of Supervisors election</span> Election in Orange County, California

The 2022 Orange County Board of Supervisors elections were held on June 7 and November 8, 2022. Three of the five seats of the Orange County, California Board of Supervisors were up for election. This was the first set of elections held after the 2020 redistricting cycle. County elections in California are officially nonpartisan. A two-round system was used for the election, starting with the first round in June. Runoffs were held in all three districts, as no candidate managed to reach the 50% + 1 threshold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Nebraska Legislature election</span>

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.

References

  1. "Nebraska State Primary Election Results 2020". The New York Times . May 12, 2020.
  2. "OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE NEBRASKA BOARD OF STATE CANVASSERS" (PDF).
  3. "Nebraska Legislature:Legislature - Maps Clearinghouse". Nebraska Legislature . Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  4. "OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE NEBRASKA BOARD OF STATE CANVASSERS" (PDF).
  5. "Candidates for State Legislature". Nebraska Republican Party . Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  6. "Candidates". Nebraska Democratic Party . Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  7. "La Grone, '16, Appointed to Nebraska Legislature | Nebraska College of Law". law.unl.edu. Retrieved January 1, 2021.