Nebraska held its general election on November 6, 2012, deciding 26 legislative seats. Nebraska's unicameral Legislature is officially nonpartisan; the composition shown reflects the party affiliation of its members.
Highlights
- Gov. Dave Heineman (R) waded into legislative races, with a mixed record, after the Legislature overrode his vetoes on prenatal care for low-income women, including undocumented immigrants, and on a city sales-tax bill.
- His clearest win came in District 2. Heineman had appointed Sen. Paul Lambert a year earlier, then turned against him after Lambert helped override the sales tax veto. Bill Kintner (R), the husband of the governor's policy director, unseated Lambert by about 370 votes.
- In north Omaha's District 11, Ernie Chambers (I), who served 38 years before term limits forced him out in 2008, won his old seat back by about two to one. He beat Sen. Brenda Council (D), who had agreed to plead guilty to campaign-finance misdemeanors after prosecutors said she withdrew more than $63,000 in campaign funds at casinos.
- No other incumbent lost. The closest finishes:
- Sen. Ken Haar (D) held District 21 by 85 votes over Mike Hilgers (R).
- In open seats, Kate Bolz (D) won District 29 by about 320 votes, and Sue Crawford (D) took District 45 by about 380.
- When the new Legislature organized, senators ignored the state GOP chairman's request to keep Democrats out of committee chairs, putting Sen. Heath Mello (D) at the head of Appropriations, and chose Sen. Greg Adams without opposition as Speaker to succeed term-limited Speaker Mike Flood.
- Voters approved 2 of 4 constitutional amendments, Amendment 1 on impeachment and Amendment 2 on hunting and fishing, and rejected the 2 on legislators' terms and pay. Amendment 4 would have raised legislators' pay from $12,000 to $22,500; Heineman campaigned against it, citing the prenatal care vote. Amendment 3, which would have allowed three consecutive terms instead of two, failed by nearly two to one.
Legislature
- Legislature (49 seats): 0 D, 0 R, 49 other or vacant before the election, 0 D, 0 R, 49 other or vacant after; control stayed with Republicans.
Legislative races
| Race | Winner | Others | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legislature 1 | Dan Watermeier (Nonpartisan) 55.78% | Jerry Joy (Nonpartisan) 44.22% | |
| Legislature 2 | Bill Kintner (Nonpartisan) 51.17% | R. Paul Lambert (Nonpartisan) 48.83% | Incumbent defeated |
| Legislature 3 | Scott Price (Nonpartisan) 56.03% | Suzanne McNamara (Nonpartisan) 43.97% | |
| Legislature 5 | Heath Mello (Nonpartisan) 100% | Unopposed | |
| Legislature 7 | Jeremiah J. Nordquist (Nonpartisan) 70.15% | Christopher Geary (Nonpartisan) 29.85% | |
| Legislature 9 | Sara Howard (Nonpartisan) 65.89% | Erica Fish (Nonpartisan) 34.11% | |
| Legislature 11 | Ernie Chambers (Nonpartisan) 66.94% | Brenda J. Council (Nonpartisan) 33.06% | Flipped D to I; Incumbent defeated |
| Legislature 13 | Tanya Cook (Nonpartisan) 60.67% | Timothy Ashford (Nonpartisan) 39.33% | |
| Legislature 15 | Charlie Janssen (Nonpartisan) 66.79% | Mike Petersen (Nonpartisan) 33.21% | |
| Legislature 17 | Dave Bloomfield (Nonpartisan) 61.01% | Van Phillips (Nonpartisan) 38.99% | |
| Legislature 19 | Jim Scheer (Nonpartisan) 77.6% | William T. Goodpasture (Nonpartisan) 22.4% | |
| Legislature 21 | Ken Haar (Nonpartisan) 50.31% | Mike Hilgers (Nonpartisan) 49.69% | |
| Legislature 23 | Jerry Johnson (Nonpartisan) 53.67% | Vern Barrett (Nonpartisan) 46.33% | |
| Legislature 25 | Kathy Campbell (Nonpartisan) 100% | Unopposed | |
| Legislature 27 | Colby Coash (Nonpartisan) 63.9% | Kyle Michaelis (Nonpartisan) 36.1% | |
| Legislature 29 | Kate Bolz (Nonpartisan) 50.91% | Larry Zimmerman (Nonpartisan) 49.09% | Flipped R to D |
| Legislature 31 | Rick Kolowski (Nonpartisan) 52.02% | Acela Turco (Nonpartisan) 47.98% | Flipped R to D |
| Legislature 33 | Les Seiler (Nonpartisan) 64.95% | Marvin Butch Hughes (Nonpartisan) 35.05% | |
| Legislature 35 | Mike Gloor (Nonpartisan) 100% | Unopposed | |
| Legislature 37 | Galen Hadley (Nonpartisan) 52.13% | Josiah H. Woodward (Nonpartisan) 47.87% | |
| Legislature 39 | Beau McCoy (Nonpartisan) 59.79% | Judy M. Domina (Nonpartisan) 40.21% | |
| Legislature 41 | Kate Sullivan (Nonpartisan) 81.99% | Brook Curtiss (Nonpartisan) 18.01% | |
| Legislature 43 | Al Davis (Nonpartisan) 51.82% | John W. Ravenscroft (Nonpartisan) 48.18% | |
| Legislature 45 | Sue Crawford (Nonpartisan) 51.38% | Richard Carter (Nonpartisan) 48.62% | Flipped R to D |
| Legislature 47 | Ken Schilz (Nonpartisan) 100% | Unopposed | |
| Legislature 49 | John Murante (Nonpartisan) 65.92% | Frank C. Wellenstein (Nonpartisan) 34.08% |
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Amendment 1 | Makes any misdemeanor while in pursuit of office grounds for impeachment of a civil officer. | Passed (82.97% yes) |
| Amendment 2 | Protects the right of residents to hunt and fish in the state. | Passed (76.71% yes) |
| Amendment 3 | Allows legislators to hold three consecutive terms instead of two. | Failed (35.36% yes) |
| Amendment 4 | Raises lawmaker salaries to $22,500 a year. | Failed (31.55% yes) |