2022 Midterm Election Guide
OMAHA CITY CHARTER | STATE AMENDMENTS & BALLOT INITIATIVES | HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | GOVERNOR | STATE SCHOOL BOARD | STATE SENATE | DOUGLAS COUNTY ATTORNEY | JUDGES
The 2022 midterms are coming up FAST, with issues like reproductive justice, gay and transgender rights, policing, sex education and more all shaping the discourse.
General reminders:
Monday, Nov 7 (Last day to vote early in-person)
Election Day (Nov 8, polls open 8 AM to 8 PM, last day to return early voting ballot to election commission office or drop box location by 8 PM)
Election resources:
Check your registration status and find your polling place here.
Civic Nebraska | Decoding the Ballot
League of Women Voters | Voting Guide
Women Who Run | Endorsements
Planned Parenthood | Endorsements
OutNebraska | LGBTQ+ Voting Guide
The Reader (Oct 2022) | Midterm Election Issue
ON VOTING
As a leftist organization, we don't believe that electoral politics alone will save us. However, many (mostly local) elections offer opportunities to improve our communities and slow down outright harm. We also understand feeling disillusioned with voting at all. Everyone has to make the choice that feels right for them.
The debate rages on, but at the end of the day, someone needs to keep an eye on the boring particulars of local government so that as a community, we can know what we're up against. A vote isn’t a love letter (and neither is this guide!) and should never be the end of your political activity! Turn in your ballot, if that’s the right choice for you, and then make a plan for sustainable community engagement and organizing.
Here are some ideas for building community outside the voting precinct:
Join or support local mutual aid efforts
Donate, share, and help fundraise for community members in need
Signal boost Venmo, CashApp and GoFundMe campaigns Keep care kits for homeless neighbors you may encounter
Support workers who are trying to unionize or striking for better conditions
Support organizations that advocate for BIPOC communities and immigrants
Support organizations that advocate for disability justice
Cop-watch
If you see someone, especially a Black or brown person, encounter the police, stop and watch the interaction to make sure the officer knows they’re being watched.
Support organizations that advocate for incarcerated or system-impacted people (many of whom cannot vote)
Donate to or volunteer at abortion clinics and abortion funds
Show up to and organize rallies, marches, and protests
OMAHA CITY CHARTER
A special shout-out to Dr. Erin Feichhtinger, Scott Blake, and Arjav Rawal (The Reader), whose advocacy and writing helped us navigate these initiatives.
Charter Amendment 1, Councilmember Replacement Vote Measure
A "yes" vote supports providing that a Councilmember who is vacating the city council cannot vote for the replacement Councilmember. A "no" vote opposes providing that a Councilmember who is vacating the city council cannot vote for the replacement Councilmember.
Our take: vote YES. Here's why:
In 2020, Councilmember Rich Pahls vacated his seat after being elected to the Nebraska State Legislature. Despite mixed interpretations of the City Charter and public backlash, Pahls was allowed to vote in the appointment of his successor when he arguably shouldn't have been.
This was a conflict of interest, and the decision should have been left up to the remaining council members, following the precedent set by previous similar circumstances.
Charter Amendment 2, Mayor Disability Measure
A "yes" vote supports changing the process for determining if a mayor is disabled and unable to perform the Mayor's duties where the ultimate determination is made by a two-thirds majority of the City Council.
A "no" vote opposes changing the process for determining if a mayor is disabled and unable to perform the Mayor's duties where the ultimate determination is made by a two-thirds majority of the City Council.
Our take: vote with your gut. Here's why:
If the Mayor's cabinet deems her fitness to perform her duties compromised, the current charter dictates that the City Council would convene a panel of three doctors to make the final decision.
If this amendment passes, there would be no medical appointments and the City Council would make the final decision with a two-thirds majority.
The Mayor's appointed cabinet is unlikely to deem her unfit. Similarly, the council is likely to appoint doctors that are inclined to agree with them anyway, so the medical committee may not make much of a difference.
This amendment would likely just speed up the process overall, regardless of the outcome.
Charter Amendment 3, Council President Line of Succession and Meeting Requirement in the Event of an Emergency Measure
A "yes" vote supports providing for a line of succession if the Council President and the Council Vice President are unable to perform as acting mayor, providing an exception to the requirement that the City Council must meet twice a month if there is a declared state or federal emergency, and require that the publication related to any initiative petition be made only in the City’s designated official newspaper.
A "no" vote opposes providing for a line of succession if the Council President and the Council Vice President are unable to perform as acting mayor, providing an exception to the requirement that the City Council must meet twice a month if there is a declared state or federal emergency, and require that the publication related to any initiative petition be made only in the City’s designated official newspaper.
Our take: vote NO. Here's why:
This should be three separate charter amendments, and is irresponsible and disrespectful to combine them into one.
1. While the City should probably establish a line of succession beyond Council President and Council Vice President, this amendment requires much more constituent education, given that succession would likely be determined by council seniority. Read more from Dr. Erin Feichtinger.
2. The City Council should arguably be meeting regularly, if not more, during a federal or state emergency to make sure their constituents are taken care of.
3. The City's official designated newspaper is The Daily Record, which is not the most-read or most well-known newspaper in Omaha. While this part of the amendment doesn't mean The Daily Record is the ONLY place that education on initiatives can happen, this isn't a promising revision to the charter regarding voter education and involvement. Read more again from Dr. Erin Feichtinger.
Charter Amendment 4, Cash Reserve Fund Increase Measure
A "yes" vote supports increasing the cash reserve fund from 8% to 12% and to increase the monetary amount which requires public bidding and City Council action from $20,000 to $50,000.
A "no" vote opposes increasing the cash reserve fund from 8% to 12% and to increase the monetary amount which requires public bidding and City Council action from $20,000 to $50,000.
Our take: vote NO. Here's why:
Once again, this should be two separate amendments.
We mostly take issue with the second part of this amendment: increasing the monetary amount which requires public bidding and City Council action.
Basically, this gives more spending discretion to individual city departments and decreases public transparency. Omaha doesn't need any less transparency in city government.
Charter Amendment 5, Master Plan to Address Development Measure
A "yes" vote supports including a requirement that the City of Omaha's master plan must "address affordable housing development and sustainable development."
A "no" vote opposes including a requirement that the City of Omaha's master plan must "address affordable housing development and sustainable development."
Our take: vote YES. Here's why:
Omaha desperately needs affordable housing and sustainable development, and this may be one of the only ways to get the City to address it. That's it.
STATE AMENDMENTS & BALLOT INITIATIVES
Nebraska Amendment 1, Authorize Local Governments to Develop Commercial Air Travel Service Amendment
A "yes" vote supports amending the state constitution to authorize any city, county, or other political subdivision that operates an airport to spend revenue to develop commercial air travel at the local airport.
A "no" vote opposes amending the state constitution to authorize any city, county, or other political subdivision that operates an airport to spend revenue to develop commercial air travel at the local airport.
Our take: vote with your gut. Here's why.
From our perspective, this amendment reads as an attempt at economic development to combat brain drain. Here in Omaha, that type of plan usually neglects the current residents in favor of promoting our city to tourists and developers. However, we understand that in more rural or less-populated Nebraska towns and cities, smaller airports could benefit from this amendment and residents could get better access to flights. For full transparency, we aren't experts, and aren't really sure how to vote.
Nebraska Initiative 432, Photo Voter Identification Initiative
A "yes" vote supports amending the state constitution to require valid photo identification in order to vote and authorize the state legislature to pass laws to specify the photo identification requirements.
A "no" vote opposes this amendment, thereby maintaining that voters do not need to present photo identification in order to vote.
Our take: vote NO. Here's why:
Voter identification laws are voter suppression. They disproportionately target BIPOC, the working class, and transgender people. Visit NoTo432.org for more information.
Nebraska Initiative 433, Minimum Wage Increase Initiative
A "yes" vote supports this ballot initiative to incrementally increase the state's minimum wage from $9 to $15 by 2026 and annually adjust the minimum wage thereafter by the cost of living.
A "no" vote opposes this ballot initiative to incrementally increase the state's minimum wage from $9 to $15 by 2026.
Our take: vote YES. Here's why:
In Nebraska, full-time minimum wage workers make less than $19,000 annually. This is poverty. Raising the minimum wage is a start to ensuring all Nebraskans get their needs met, but the most important part of this initiative is that it would ensure the minimum wage is annually adjusted based on the cost of living. Learn more at raisethewagenebraska.org.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
*Incumbent
Note: Candidate positions and stances were sourced from official campaign sites, Vote Smart, the Nebraska Legislature bill search, and voting guides mentioned previously in this article. These are not endorsements, nor is this an exhaustive list of positions, but includes issues that our team knows to be important to Strongly Worded Letters supporters.
Congressional District 1
Mike Flood (R)*
Anti-abortion, supports voter ID laws, voted against the Right to Contraception Act, voted against legislation that would provide training and dispatch for mental health professionals instead of police, voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, voted against the Medical Marijuana Research Act, voted against the Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act, opposes vaccine, COVID-testing, and mask mandates, supports a wall along the southern border, introduced LB1050, which would allow religious student organizations to discriminate against LGBTQ+ students and still receive university funding, co-sponsored LB963, which would allow medical professionals to refuse to treat anyone for “ethical, moral, or religious beliefs
Patty Pansing-Brooks (D)
Pro-choice, opposes voter ID laws and supports expanding voting access, supports funding training and dispatch for mental health professionals in police departments, supports expanding Medicare and Medicaid, supports medical marijuana, supports green energy, good track record on LGBTQ issues
Congressional District 2
Don Bacon (R)*
Voted against the Equality Act, Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, opposes any attempt to challenge qualified immunity for police officers, supports excessive military funding, anti-abortion, opposes student loan forgiveness, opposes single-payer healthcare, supports increasing security along the southern border but has shown support of DACA and TPS, opposes federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions but supports government funding for the development of renewable energy
Tony Vargas (D)
Pro-choice, supports expanding Medicaid and Medicare, supports expanding early voting and automatic voter registration, supports "bipartisan immigration reform that creates an earned pathway to citizenship for those without criminal records," supports expanding Pell Grants, supports funding for clean energy
Congressional District 3
Adrian Smith (R)
Anti-abortion, supports a wall along the southern border, supports increased defense spending, opposes student loan forgiveness, opposes federal funding for renewable energy, opposes federal regulation of greenhouse gases, Voted against the Equality Act, Voted against the Respect for Marriage Act
David Else (D)
Pro-choice, opposes increased defense spending, supports a minimum wage increase, supports Medicare for All
Mark Elworth Jr. (Legal Marijuana Now Party)
Pro-choice, supports student debt forgiveness, opposes increased defense spending
GOVERNOR
*Incumbent
Note: Candidate positions and stances were sourced from official campaign sites, Vote Smart, the Nebraska Legislature bill search, and voting guides mentioned previously in this article. These are not endorsements, nor is this an exhaustive list of positions, but includes issues that our team knows to be important to Strongly Worded Letters supporters.
Jim Pillen (R)
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, opposes the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, opposes comprehensive sex education, including state standards that teach about sexual orientation and gender identity, promises to “Fight The Radical Transgender Agenda," believes calls to defund the police are "reckless and dangerous," believes "failure to reform and enforce an immigration policy creates a national security threat at every entry point to the U.S."
Carol Blood (D)
Pro-choice, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, supports rehabilitation programs, mental health and drug abuse treatments, as well as investments in those experiencing cycles of violence and poverty to reduce the prison population, supports online and automatic voter registration, co-sponsored LR466, which backed a Supreme Court decision banning job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, co-sponsored LB120 to prohibit discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity, co-sponsored LB321, which would prohibit a defendant’s discovery of a victim’s actual or perceived gender or sexual orientation as a defense to a crime
NEBRASKA STATE SCHOOL BOARD
*Incumbent
Note: Candidate positions and stances were sourced from official campaign sites, Vote Smart, the Nebraska Legislature bill search, and voting guides mentioned previously in this article. These are not endorsements, nor is this an exhaustive list of positions, but includes issues that our team knows to be important to Strongly Worded Letters supporters.
District 5
Kirk Penner* (appointed by Governor Pete Ricketts)
Opposes comprehensive sex education and "critical race theory" being taught in Nebraska schools, endorsed by the anti-LGBTQ+ group Protect Nebraska Children
Helen Raikes
On comprehensive sex education: “I do not think that many or any schools would want to select a curriculum that “promotes” transgender ideology but would select curriculum and procedures that are sensitive to students.”
On "Critical Race Theory:" "Critical Race Theory has no place in elementary, middle or secondary schools. It is a graduate-level theory offered in college sociology (and related) courses. Accurate portrayals of our history and opportunities to reflect on that are appropriate at the high school level. This is not the same as Critical Race Theory. I support schools creating a culture that gives every student a sense of belonging. I am sure you would agree that learning occurs best when every student believes they belong in their school."
District 6
Danielle Helzer
Supports local control of schools, supports access to mental and behavioral health support for students, high quality, equitable early childhood education opportunities, supported proposed comprehensive sex education standards
Sherry Jones
Supports local control of schools, believes "Critical Race Theory is divisive," opposes comprehensive sex education standards, endorsed by anti-LGBTQ+ group Protect Nebraska Children
District 7
Robin Stevens
Increased broadband access for rural schools and families, expanded early childhood education
On health standards: “As a result of my leadership, the controversial health standards have been postponed indefinitely. These issues belong primarily between parents and their children. I believe local schools and their elected school boards should have more control over sensitive curriculum.”
On "Critical Race Theory:" "History is and must be based on facts, not ideological, divisive theories. None of our kids should be taught that they are an oppressor or a victim because of the color of their skin. Our kids should be taught that they come from a great country, because they do. "
Elizabeth Tegtmeier
Supports local control of schools, endorsed by anti-LGBTQ+ group Protect Nebraska Children, opposes comprehensive sex education and "Critical Race Theory"
District 8
Marni Hodgen
Opposes comprehensive sex education and "Critical Race Theory," endorsed by anti-LGBTQ+ hate group Protect Nebraska Children
Deborah Neary*
Endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, supports comprehensive sex education, supports "school choice opportunities that uphold state school standard accountabilities"
On "Critical Race Theory:" "I believe in teaching youth an accurate version of historical events. Without understanding our history we cannot progress as a country."
NEBRASKA STATE SENATE
*Incumbent
Note: Candidate positions and stances were sourced from official campaign sites, Vote Smart, the Nebraska Legislature bill search, and voting guides mentioned previously in this article. These are not endorsements, nor is this an exhaustive list of positions, but includes issues that our team knows to be important to Strongly Worded Letters supporters.
District 2
Robert Clements*
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, opposed comprehensive sex education standards proposed by the the State Board of Education, co-sponsored LB1077, which would prohibit public schools, public postsecondary institutions, and governmental entities from training or teaching certain concepts relating to race and sex and provide for withholding of state funds, voted against funding for HIV prevention and PreP
Sarah Slattery
Supports workers' rights, including unionizing, collective bargaining, and access to family medical leave, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska and Women Who Run Nebraska
District 4
R. Brad von Gillern
Anti-abortion, opposes "Critical Race Theory," aims to "reconsider the balance of property, income and sales taxes to reach a lower net tax burden for Nebraskans," endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, supports expanding the prison system as a solution to overcrowding, endorsed by Governor Pete Ricketts, Mayor Jean Stothert, and Omaha Police Officers Association
Cindy Maxwell-Ostdiek
Pro-choice, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, supports lowering property taxes, supports treatment programs as an alternative to prison, promises to "prioritize legislation that addresses long-standing issues that contribute to crime, including education, mental health, poverty, and racial disparity in statewide arrest and incarceration numbers"
District 6
Machaela Cavanaugh*
Pro-choice, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, co-sponsored LB230, which would prohibit discrimination in public accommodations and under the Nebraska Fair Housing Act on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, co-sponsored LB321, which would prohibit a defendant’s discovery of a victim’s actual or perceived gender or sexual orientation as a defense to a crime, introduced LB745, which would make language around marriage and on marriage forms gender neutral, voted for funding for HIV prevention and PreP
Christian Mirch
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, Governor Pete Ricketts, Mayor Jean Stothert, and Omaha Police Officers Association
District 8
Marilyn Asher
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, opposes comprehensive sex education standards, supports "full funding for police" and believes cases of police brutality "do NOT indicate systemic racism in our society
Megan Hunt*
Pro-choice, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, led a filibuster that blocked an anti-abortion trigger bill in the Nebraska legislature, supports comprehensive sex education, in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana and allowing those previous convictions to be expunged, believes investments in early education will help reduce the school-to-prison pipeline, opposes voter ID, supports mandated protections for LGBT+ youth in schools and supports banning conversion therapy
District 10
Wendy DeBoer*
Pro-choice, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, supports making mental health services and job training more accessible as a proactive way to reduce our prison population through prevention of crime, supports broadband expansion to underserved populations, Co-sponsored LB120, which would prohibit discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity, voted for funding for HIV prevention and PreP
Lou Ann Goding
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life and Governor Pete Ricketts
District 12
Robin Richards
Supports educational and vocational training for incarcerated Nebraskans, as well as the decriminalization of marijuana
Merv Riepe
Endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, Governor Pete Ricketts, Mayor Jean Stothert, and the Omaha Police Officers Association, believes the prison facility in Lincoln needs to be relocated to Omaha, but that Nebraska needs to "focus on reentry of prisoners into society with training of personal skills, personal issues, mental health services and general education"
District 14
John Arch*
Endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, opposes comprehensive sex education and "Critical Race Theory," opposed COVID-19 mandates
Cori Villegas
Endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, supports continued state funding for public schools, supports reduced sentences for incarcerated people that exhibit "...good behavior, they should be released and sent to a drug habilitation program."
District 16
Ben Hansen*
Endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, opposed comprehensive sex education standards proposed by the the State Board of Education, introduced LB1077, which would prohibit public schools, public postsecondary institutions, and governmental entities from training or teaching certain concepts relating to race and sex and provide for withholding of state funds, opposed COVID vaccine mandates,
Connie Petersen
Supports voter identification laws, opposes comprehensive sex education and "Critical Race Theory"
District 18
Christy Armendariz
Endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life
Michael Young
Pro-choice, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, supports prevention programs that would treat the causes of prison over-population, supports increased transparency in local government,
District 20
Stuart Dornan
Provided legal representation to Jake Gardner, the man indicted for manslaughter in the killing of James Scurlock during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Omaha, believes Nebraska must "address repeat offenders, provide meaningful opportunities for rehabilitative programs, institute and expand problem-solving courts, prevent additional crimes, and support and ensure justice for crime victims," endorsed by Mayor Jean Stothert and Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine, supports increased state funding to public schools
John Fredrickson
Pro-choice, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, wants to "address the root causes of crime and incarceration with a focus on evidence-based preventative measures, including investing in mental health services, early childhood education, supportive housing, and employment opportunities," supports increased state funding to public schools
District 22
Mike Moser*
Opposed comprehensive sex education standards proposed by the State Board of Education, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life
Roy Zach
District 24
Patrick Hotovy
Endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, believes "addressing mental health issues and disparities in economic opportunities could cause a significant decrease in our prison population," and Nebraska should utilize "programs like drug courts, veterans’ courts, and problem-solving courts"
Jana Hughes
Endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, opposes "Critical Race Theory," believes "a mix of sentencing reform as well as potentially looking at our current facilities and determining if they need to be upgraded" will aid prison overpopulation
District 26
Russ Barger
Endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, member of the Lincoln Right to Life Board
George Dungan III
Endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, supports increasing public safety by "reducing crime through youth education and employment, mental health services, and investing in violence prevention programs...safety also includes access to affordable housing, mental health, after-school programs, and other community resources," supports finding a "comprehensive approach (to school funding) that protects our public schools and provides much-needed tax cuts to our state’s property owners."
District 28
Roy Christensen
Voted against banning conversion therapy during his time on the Lincoln City Council, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life
Jane Raybould
Supports "alternatives to incarceration, sentencing reform and (we need to) revise parole...to reduce overcrowding. Instead of funding a new penitentiary, we should be building a new Regional Center to treat the backlog of inmates unable to get the mental health services they have been court-ordered to receive," voted to ban conversion therapy during her time on the Lincoln City Council, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska
District 30
Myron Dorn*
Opposed comprehensive sex education standards, proposed by the the State Board of Education, voted for funding for HIV prevention and PreP, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life
District 31 (Special Election)
Kathleen Kauth* (Appointed by Governor Pete Ricketts)
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, opposed COVID-19 mask mandates
Tim Royers
Pro-choice, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, supports increased state funding to schools, supports legalization of marijuana, supports expanding rural access to broadband internet and public transportation options
District 32
Tom Brandt*
Endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, opposed comprehensive sex education standards proposed by the the State Board of Education, voted for funding for HIV prevention and PreP, supports legislation to allow partnerships with private entities to support rural broadband infrastructure, supports increased state funding for schools
District 34
Loren Lippincott
Endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, supports increased state funding for schools, supports voter identification measures, supports privatizing infrastructure needs
Michael Reimers
Little information available on this candidate
District 36
Rick Holdcroft
Endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, promises to "stand up for law enforcement against the attacks of the radical left
Angie Lauritsen
Believes we need to "focus on rehabilitation and not just punishment. We should be providing those who are incarcerated with education, job training, and other skills to lower recidivism rates," supports more public-private partnerships for infrastructure projects
District 38
Tyler Cappel
Anti-abortion, is a proponent of School Choice and providing vouchers to those who wish to opt out of public education in favor of homeschooling, charter or private schools, opposes increased defense spending
Dave Murman*
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, opposed comprehensive sex education standards proposed by the the State Board of Education, co-sponsored LB1077, which would prohibit public schools, public postsecondary institutions, and governmental entities from training or teaching certain concepts relating to race and sex and provide for withholding of state funds, introduced LB963, which would allow medical professionals to refuse to treat anyone for “ethical, moral, or religious beliefs," voted for funding for HIV prevention and PreP
District 40
Barry DeKay
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, supports growth of rural broadband across
Keith Kube
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, supports anti-mask, anti-vaccine, anti-LGBTQ extremist group Nebraskans Against Government Overreach
District 42
Chris Bruns
Anti-abortion, promises to "fight against costly mandates and federal overreach"
Michael Jacobson*
Opposes "radical health policies" (comprehensive sex education) and "Critical Race Theory," and "strongly opposes efforts to reduce law enforcement funding and training
District 44
Teresa Ibach
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, opposes the "mandatory teaching of critical race theory in our public schools and the woke left sex education agenda being forced on our children"
District 46
James Michael Bowers
Pro-choice, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, introduced and passed a ban on conversion therapy during his time on the Lincoln City Council, supports "easing regulations that hurt access to affordable health care"
Danielle Conrad
Pro-choice, endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, believes "criminal justice reform should focus on prevention," passed an increase to the state minimum wage in 2007, led the citizen campaign in 2014 to boost the minimum wage, introduced LB485, which would prohibit discrimination based upon sexual orientation as prescribed
District 48
Brian Hardin
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, promises to "shrink indoctrination of Critical Race Theory – overt or veiled, as well as gender-bending studies which divide instead of unite," and to "Shrink ridiculous policy which marginalizes law enforcement or attempts to replace them with something else and something less"
Don Lease II
Anti-abortion, endorsed by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life, supports increased rehabilitation for incarcerated individuals to prevent recidivism, supports "equitable balance of property, income, and sales tax for education funding"
DOUGLAS COUNTY ATTORNEY
*Incumbent
Note: Candidate positions and stances were sourced from official campaign sites, Vote Smart, the Nebraska Legislature bill search, and voting guides mentioned previously in this article. These are not endorsements, nor is this an exhaustive list of positions, but includes issues that our team knows to be important to Strongly Worded Letters supporters.
Don Kleine* (R)
Refused to prosecute Jake Gardner for the murder of James Scurlock during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Omaha, endorsed by Governor Pete Ricketts and Omaha Police Officers Association
Dave Pantos (D)
Endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska and promises not to prosecute abortions if Nebraska criminalizes abortion, supports fully decriminalizing marijuana, including expungement of past offenses, supports bail reform,
NEBRASKA SUPREME & APPELLATE COURTS
Our limited time and resources kept us from completing this section. However, please check out the resources below:
"Law Student Riley Wilson Explains Voting for Judges in Nebraska" | NOISE (Scroll down to "Voting for Judges." The rest of the info on this article pertains to the 2020 election.)