Nebraska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

Nebraska's 2014 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • Other executive offices • State Senate • State ballot measures • School boards • Judicial • Candidate ballot access

Nebraska Gubernatorial Election

Primary Date: May 13, 2014

General Election Date: November 4, 2014

November 4 Election Winners: Pete Ricketts Mike Foley

Incumbents prior to election: Dave Heineman John Nelson

Dave Heineman John Nelson

Nebraska State Executive Elections Top Ballot Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General Down Ballot Treasurer, Auditor, Public Service Commissioner

The Nebraska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Dave Heineman (R) was prevented by term limits from seeking another term in office. The race to replace Heineman included the Republican ticket of Pete Ricketts and Mike Foley, the Democratic ticket of Chuck Hassebrook and Jane Raybould and the Libertarian Party ticket of Mark G. Elworth Jr. and Scott Zimmerman. In Nebraska, gubernatorial nominees select their lieutenant governor running mate after the primary.^[1] Ricketts and Foley won election to concurrent four-year terms.

Heineman's lieutenant governor, Rick Sheehy, was expected to run until a scandal erupted in February 2013 that resulted in Sheehy's abrupt resignation from office, effectively ruining his chances of winning election as governor in 2014. Sheehy's successor, Lavon Heidemann, was running as the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, but resigned abruptly on September 9, 2014. He resigned in the wake of a protection order issued to Heidemann's sister, who accused him of physical abuse during an argument. For more information on this story, click here.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Nebraska, a top-two primary system is used for the nonpartisan legislature and some other statewide races. All other primaries are semi-closed.^[2]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Candidates

Note: Lavon Heidemann's name did not appear on the ballot after an appeal by Pete Ricketts to add running mate Mike Foley following Heidemann's withdrawal on September 9, 2014. State law required gubernatorial candidates to select their running mates by September 1, with no provision for removing selected candidates from the ballot. Ricketts selected State Auditor Mike Foley as a replacement for Heidemann, and the Nebraska Secretary of State approved an appeal to replace Heidemann with Foley on September 10, 2014.^[3][4]

General election

Pete Ricketts/Mike Foley ^[5][6]
Chuck Hassebrook/Jane Raybould^[7]
Mark G. Elworth Jr./Scott Zimmerman^[8]

Withdrew from race

Lavon Heidemann - Former lieutenant governor
Greg Adams - President of the Nebraska Unicameral, representing District 24^[9]
Charlie Janssen - State Senator, District 15^[10][11]
Mike Flood - Past Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature^[12][13]
Rick Sheehy- Former Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska^[14]
Don Stenberg - Nebraska State Treasurer^[15][16]
Annette Dubas - Member of the Nebraska Unicameral representing District 34.^[17][18]

Lost in primary

Tom Carlson - State Senator, District 38^[19]
Beau McCoy - Member of the Nebraska State Legislature, representing District 39 since 2009.^[20][21][22]
Jon Bruning - Current Attorney General of Nebraska^[23]
Mike Foley - Nebraska State Auditor^[21]
Bryan Slone - Tax attorney, former Reagan administration official^[24]

Results

General election

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Pete Ricketts/Mike Foley	57.2%	308,751
	Democratic	Chuck Hassebrook/Jane Raybould	39.3%	211,905
	Libertarian	Mark G. Elworth Jr./Scott Zimmerman	3.5%	19,001
Total Votes				539,657
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State

Primary election

Republican primary

Governor of Nebraska, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Pete Ricketts	26.6%	58,671
Jon Bruning	25.5%	56,324
Beau McCoy	20.9%	46,196
Mike Foley	19.2%	42,394
Tom Carlson	4.1%	9,080
Bryan Slone	3.7%	8,265
Total Votes		220,930
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State.

Democratic primary

Chuck Hassebrook won the Democratic nomination without opposition.

Race background

Incumbent Gov. Dave Heineman was barred by term limits from seeking re-election in 2014.^[25] Heineman intended to back then-Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy, with whom he shared a winning ticket in both the 2006 and 2010 elections, as his successor. Sheehy's resignation in February 2013 caused Heineman to withdraw his support for Sheehy's campaign.^[26][27] Days later, campaign donors reportedly began receiving refund checks in the mail.^[28]

With Sheehy, the previous frontrunner, out of the race, other potential candidates emerged: six Republicans ran in the May primary.^[29]

Resignation of Lavon Heidemann

Lt. Gov. Lavon Heidemann (R) announced his resignation from the lieutenant governor's office on September 9, 2014, following reports of a physical altercation with his sister, Lois Bohling. Bohling claimed that Heidemann grabbed her wrists and pushed her following a heated argument over their deceased father's estate. Heidemann and Bohling disagreed about her August 13 filing, which would have stripped him of his ability to farm two parcels of land previously owned by their father. This altercation led to a September 8 order from Johnson County District Judge Daniel Bryan prohibiting Heidemann from contacting his sister, visiting her home, or visiting their mother's home. Heidemann stated that he disputed his sister's account of the discussion, but the order led to calls for his resignation by state Democratic leaders.^[30]

Gov. Dave Heineman (R) announced that he would move quickly to fill the vacancy. Heineman selected state legislator John Nelson as Heidemann's replacement on September 29.^[31] Heidemann's 2014 running mate, Pete Ricketts, selected State Auditor Mike Foley as his new ticket mate following the resignation. The Nebraska secretary of state approved an appeal by Ricketts to replace Heidemann with Foley on the ballot on September 10. The deadline to name a lieutenant gubernatorial candidate was September 1, and state law does not allow names to be removed from the ballot after that date. The appeal was approved on the grounds that Ricketts had a constitutional obligation to select a running mate.^[30][32]

Ballot lawsuit

Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Mark G. Elworth Jr. filed a lawsuit against Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale on September 12 over his decision to remove Heidemann from the general election ballot. In a filing with the Lancaster County District Court, Elworth cited a state law that requires candidates for lieutenant governor to be decided by September 1. Gale argued that his decision to remove Heidemann from the ballot was made after weighing a gubernatorial candidate's constitutional right to designate a running mate against the statutory deadline.^[33] A district court judge ruled on September 23 that Gale's decision would stand, allowing Heidemann to be replaced by Foley on the ballot.^[34]

Debates

October 2 debate

Chuck Hassebrook and Pete Ricketts shared barbs over past positions in a debate sponsored by Nebraska Educational Communications. Hassebrook accused Ricketts of supporting Gov. Dave Heineman's (R) tax proposal in 2013, which would have increased sales tax rates. The Platte Institute, a conservative think-tank created by Ricketts, supported the tax proposal, which ultimately failed to pass in the face of increasing public criticism. Hassebrook argued that Ricketts tried to hide his support for the measure when he decided to run for governor. Ricketts denied support for the bill, noting that he did not agree with every position taken by the institute.^[35]

Ricketts countered by bringing up a report co-authored by Hassebrook in 1990 that called for a ban on exports of genetically modified crops. The issue of biotechnology in farming had grown in prominence due to the importance of Nebraska's agricultural sector. Hassebrook responded that he provided little assistance to the authors of the report and was wrongly credited as a co-author. He also noted that he had supported biotechnology research since the early 1990s when he served on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.^[35]

Hassebrook and Ricketts also expressed distinct positions on immigration and the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that was would run through Nebraska. Hassebrook advocated for allowing driving licenses for children brought to the country illegally, while Ricketts opposed issuing licenses as a matter of protecting existing laws. Ricketts suggested that the XL Pipeline would bring jobs to the state and securely transport oil across the country, citing problems with rail transportation of oil. Hassebrook opposed the pipeline because he suggested the project would contribute to climate change.^[35]

September 1 debate

Chuck Hassebrook and Pete Ricketts sparred over education policy, economics and full-time residency in Lincoln at the Nebraska State Fair. Hassebrook opposed school vouchers for public school students, suggesting that tax dollars should be used to improve public schools. Ricketts countered that a gradual voucher policy would help students while keeping money in public schools. The duo showed stark differences in economic policy, with Hassebrook supporting a minimum wage increase and Ricketts opposing an increased wage. Moderator Mike'l Severe asked both candidates if they would reside in the governor's mansion full-time if elected. Ricketts, who has three children attending school in Omaha, said that he had not made a final decision on the question. Hassebrook stated that Nebraska needs a governor who lives in the capital full-time and that he would commit to living in Lincoln.^[36]

Polls

General election

Primary election

Campaign media

Chuck Hassebrook

Pete Ricketts

Outside groups

Republican Governors Association

Past elections

Margin of victory analysis

The average margin of victory in the past three races for governor was 46 percent. The smallest margin of victory was 41.2 percent in 2002, while the largest margin of victory was 48.9 percent in 2006. The following chart compares the margin of victory for winners of gubernatorial races with the margin of victory for candidates who won the most votes for the top race on the ballot:^[37]

Margin of victory analysis
Year	Gov. candidate margin of victory (%)	Party of winning candidate	Top race on ballot	Party of winning candidate	Margin of victory (%)
2010	47.8		-	-	-
2006	48.9		U.S. Senate		27.8
2002	41.2		U.S. Senate		68.2

Note: There was no statewide vote for federal office in 2010.

2010

Governor of Nebraska[37], 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Dave Heineman Incumbent	73.9%	360,645
	Democratic	Mike Meister	26.1%	127,343
Total Votes				487,988

2006

Governor of Nebraska[37], 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Dave Heineman/Rick Sheehy	73.4%	435,507
	Democratic	David Hahn/Steve Loschen	24.5%	145,115
	Nebraska	Barry Richards/Terry Richards	1.5%	8,953
	Nonpartisan	Mort Sullivan/Ron Kellogg	0.6%	3,782
Total Votes				593,357

2002

Governor of Nebraska[37], 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mike Johanns Incumbent	68.7%	330,349
	Democratic	Stormy Dean	27.5%	132,348
	Nebraska	Paul A. Rosberg	3.8%	18,294
Total Votes				480,991

Voter turnout

Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.^[38] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.^[39]

Quick facts

• According to PBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.^[40]

• Forty-three states and the District of Columbia failed to surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.

• The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis were Texas (28.3 percent), Tennessee (28.6 percent), and Indiana (28.8 percent).

• Maine (58.5 percent), Wisconsin (56.5 percent), and Colorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.

• There were only 12 states that increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.^[41]

Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $16,108,287 during the election. This information was last updated on April 25, 2015.^[42]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate	Office	Result	Contributions
Pete Ricketts/Mike Foley	Nebraska Governor/Lt. Governor		$7,436,563
Chuck Hassebrook/Jane Raybould	Nebraska Governor/Lt. Governor		$3,071,047
Beau McCoy	Nebraska Governor/Lt. Governor		$2,604,872
Jon Bruning	Nebraska Governor/Lt. Governor		$1,365,202
Bryan Slone	Nebraska Governor/Lt. Governor		$891,704
Mike Foley	Nebraska Governor/Lt. Governor		$456,384
Tom Carlson	Nebraska Governor/Lt. Governor		$282,515
Mark G. Elworth Jr./Scott Zimmerman	Nebraska Governor/Lt. Governor		$0
Grand Total Raised			$16,108,287

Key deadlines

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Nebraska + governor + election"

See also

• Governor of Nebraska
• Nebraska state executive official elections, 2014
• State executive official elections, 2014
• State executive debates, 2014

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Governor of Nebraska

Footnotes

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