Dave Heineman

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Heineman (left) with HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt (center), and predecessor Mike Johanns (right) in 2006.

David Eugene "Dave" Heineman (born May 12, 1948, in Falls City, Nebraska) is an American Republican politician who currently serves as the Governor of Nebraska. On December 13, 2007 he endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

[edit] Biography

Heineman graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1970. He served two terms as the Nebraska State Treasurer from 1994 to 2001 and was appointed to the office of Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska on October 1, 2001, and was elected to his first full term in 2002.

He became Governor on January 20, 2005, following Mike Johanns' resignation to become United States Secretary of Agriculture in President George W. Bush's Cabinet. On April 11, 2005, Heineman announced that he would be seeking election to a full four-year term. He had the backing of Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, though he faced a difficult challenge in the Republican primary from former Nebraska Cornhuskers football coach and U.S. Representative Tom Osborne. Heineman took 49 percent of the more than 197,000 votes cast, and Osborne 45 percent [1]. The Lincoln Journal Star's analysis of the race attributed Heineman's win to his opposition to Class I rural school reorganization and the granting of resident college tuition rates to the children of illegal immigrants, helping him win over rural voters. This proved critical in the primary; while Osborne carried most of the Omaha and Lincoln areas--which cast more than two-thirds of Nebraska's vote--Heineman won by large-enough margins in western and central Nebraska to get the nomination. [2]

Heineman defeated Democratic nominee David Hahn in the November 7, 2006, general election, capturing 73.4 percent of the vote--one of the most lopsided victories for a gubernatorial race in Nebraska history. The race was not a high priority for the state's Democratic Party; it is likely that many top-tier Democrats didn't want to face the possibility of running against the popular Osborne.

[edit] External links

• Nebraska Office of the Governor Dave Heineman official state site
• National Governors Association - Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman biography
• Follow the Money - Dave Heineman & Rick Sheehy 2006 campaign contributions
• On the Issues - Dave Heineman issue positions and quotes
• Project Vote Smart - Governor Dave Heineman (NE) profile
• Governor Dave Heineman official campaign site

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