Nebraska held its general election on November 8, 2016, deciding 25 legislative seats and 2 statewide offices. Nebraska's unicameral Legislature is officially nonpartisan; the composition shown reflects the party affiliation of its members.
Highlights
- Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) won two rounds against a Legislature that had overridden his vetoes of a gas tax increase and the death penalty repeal. Voters restored the death penalty, and Ricketts-backed challengers ousted three Republican senators. Democrats still gained ground: by party registration (Republican-Democratic-other), the Legislature went from 35-12-2 to 32-15-2.
- The three senators ousted by Ricketts-backed challengers included two committee chairs:
- Steve Halloran (R) beat Sen. Les Seiler (R) by about 20 points in District 33.
- Bruce Bostelman (R) beat Sen. Jerry Johnson (R) by about 11 points in District 23.
- Tom Brewer (R) beat Sen. Al Davis (R) by about 790 votes in District 43.
- Overall, 7 seats changed party, five toward Democrats and two toward Republicans:
- Carol Blood (D) beat Sen. Tommy Garrett (R) by about 480 votes in District 3, and Lynne Walz (D) beat Sen. David A. Schnoor (R) by about 410 votes in District 15.
- In the closest race, Dan Quick (D) beat Gregg Neuhaus (R) by 75 votes in Grand Island's open District 35.
- Tony Vargas (D) in District 7 and Anna Wishart (D) in District 27 won seats Republicans had held.
- Republicans took two open Democratic seats: Mike Hilgers (R) won District 21, and Tom Briese (R) was unopposed in District 41.
- Voters approved Referendum 426, which brought back the death penalty by repealing the 2015 law that abolished it. Ricketts put his own money into the petition drive that forced the vote.
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.
Statewide races
| Race | Winner | Others | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Commissioner District 4 | Rod Johnson (R) 100% | Unopposed | |
| Public Service Commissioner District 5 | Mary Ridder (R) 100% | Unopposed |
Legislative races
| Race | Winner | Others | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legislature 1 | Dan Watermeier (Nonpartisan) 100% | Unopposed | |
| Legislature 3 | Carol Blood (Nonpartisan) 51.56% | Tommy Garrett (Nonpartisan) 48.44% | Flipped R to D; Incumbent defeated |
| Legislature 5 | Mike McDonnell (Nonpartisan) 70.16% | Gilbert Ayala (Nonpartisan) 29.84% | |
| Legislature 7 | Tony Vargas (Nonpartisan) 61.75% | John Synowiecki (Nonpartisan) 38.25% | Flipped R to D |
| Legislature 9 | Sara Howard (Nonpartisan) 79.19% | Larry Roland (Nonpartisan) 20.81% | |
| Legislature 11 | Ernie Chambers (Nonpartisan) 81.81% | John Sciara (Nonpartisan) 18.19% | |
| Legislature 13 | Justin Wayne (Nonpartisan) 51.16% | Jill Brown (Nonpartisan) 48.84% | |
| Legislature 15 | Lynne Walz (Nonpartisan) 51.39% | David A. Schnoor (Nonpartisan) 48.61% | Flipped R to D; Incumbent defeated |
| Legislature 17 | Joni Albrecht (Nonpartisan) 60.53% | Ardel Bengtson (Nonpartisan) 39.47% | |
| Legislature 19 | Jim Scheer (Nonpartisan) 100% | Unopposed | |
| Legislature 21 | Mike Hilgers (Nonpartisan) 56.67% | Larry Scherer (Nonpartisan) 43.33% | Flipped D to R |
| Legislature 23 | Bruce Bostelman (Nonpartisan) 55.57% | Jerry Johnson (Nonpartisan) 44.43% | Incumbent defeated |
| Legislature 25 | Suzanne Geist (Nonpartisan) 55.7% | Jim Gordon (Nonpartisan) 44.3% | |
| Legislature 27 | Anna Wishart (Nonpartisan) 73.08% | Dick Clark (Nonpartisan) 26.92% | Flipped R to D |
| Legislature 29 | Kate Bolz (Nonpartisan) 83.47% | Melody Vaccaro (Nonpartisan) 16.53% | |
| Legislature 31 | Rick Kolowski (Nonpartisan) 52.07% | Ian M. Swanson (Nonpartisan) 47.93% | |
| Legislature 33 | Steve Halloran (Nonpartisan) 60.22% | Les Seiler (Nonpartisan) 39.78% | Incumbent defeated |
| Legislature 35 | Dan Quick (Nonpartisan) 50.33% | Gregg Neuhaus (Nonpartisan) 49.67% | Flipped R to D |
| Legislature 37 | John Lowe (Nonpartisan) 53.26% | Bob Lammers (Nonpartisan) 46.74% | |
| Legislature 39 | Lou Ann Linehan (Nonpartisan) 54.87% | Bill Armbrust (Nonpartisan) 45.13% | |
| Legislature 41 | Tom Briese (Nonpartisan) 100% | Unopposed | Flipped D to R |
| Legislature 43 | Tom Brewer (Nonpartisan) 52.26% | Al Davis (Nonpartisan) 47.74% | Incumbent defeated |
| Legislature 45 | Sue Crawford (Nonpartisan) 56.58% | Michael J. Cook (Nonpartisan) 43.42% | |
| Legislature 47 | Steve Erdman (Nonpartisan) 67.25% | Karl Elmshaeuser (Nonpartisan) 32.75% | |
| Legislature 49 | John Murante (Nonpartisan) 100% | Unopposed |
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Referendum 426 | Asks voters whether to repeal or maintain LB 268, which eliminated the state's death penalty | Passed (60.64% yes) |