Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2006
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The 2006 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006; the primary election was held on May 9, 2006. Republican incumbent Dave Heineman was re-elected over Democrat David Hahn.
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[edit] Overview
The Republican primary election had the unusual situation of an incumbent running against several members of his own party. Originally, the 2006 election would not have had an incumbent. However, this changed when Mike Johanns resigned in January 2005 to become United States Secretary of Agriculture; this elevated Lieutenant Governor Dave Heineman to the governorship. He then announced his intention to run for election to a full four-year term. The other two candidates for the Republican nomination were former Nebraska Cornhuskers football coach Tom Osborne—then serving in the United States House of Representatives—and Omaha businessman Dave Nabity.
The Democratic primary election did not have any candidates until December 2005, when David Hahn announced his candidacy. Glenn Boot Jr. of Ashland was the other Democratic candidate, but he was disqualified due to a previous felony conviction. The election was not a high priority for Nebraska Democrats. While the main reason was focusing on getting U.S. Senator Ben Nelson reelected, it was very likely that most Democrats didn't want to face the possibility of running against the immensely popular Osborne.
The Nebraska Party (affiliated with the Constitution Party) has one candidate, Barry Richards of Hayes Center.
In 2005, the three Republican candidates raised more than $2 million overall for their campaigns: Osborne $972,000; Heineman $922,000; and Nabity $150,000.
Heineman surprisingly won the Republican nomination with 50% of the vote, although Osborne was a heavy favorite going into the race. The Lincoln Journal Star analyzed the race after the primary election:
| “ | While Osborne captured populous Omaha and Lincoln, Heineman sealed his victory in rural counties and key population centers in western and central Nebraska’s critical Republican battleground.... ...it was the political impact of two gubernatorial vetoes that appeared to lift Heineman into a late surge, especially in Osborne’s congressional district. Heineman’s opposition to Class I rural school reorganization and the granting of resident college tuition rates to the children of illegal immigrants cut into Osborne’s support. Osborne declined to sign referendum petitions seeking voter repeal of the rural school legislation and said he would have signed the resident tuition bill." [1] |
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Reuters noted "[t]housands of Democrats changed their registration to Republican to allow them to weigh in on the contest." [2]
[edit] Candidates
- Democratic
- David Hahn – attorney and internet development company CEO
- Nebraska
- Republican
- Dave Heineman – incumbent
[edit] Unsuccessful primary candidates
- Republicans
- Dave Nabity – financial consultant, former Young Republicans state chair
- Tom Osborne – Nebraska Third District Congressman, former football coach
[edit] Polling
| Source | Date | Heineman (R) | Hahn (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen | October 19, 2006 | 70% | 22% |
| Rasmussen | September 26, 2006 | 72% | 18% |
| Rasmussen | August 17, 2006 | 71% | 18% |
| Rasmussen | July 17, 2006 | 66% | 21% |
[edit] Results
[edit] General
| 2006 gubernatorial election, Nebraska | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Dave Heineman (incumbent) | 434,802 | 73.4 | +4.7 | |
| Democratic | David Hahn | 144,624 | 24.4 | -3.1 | |
| Nebraska | Barry Richards | 8,894 | 1.5 | -2.3 | |
| Independent | Mort Sullivan | 3,740 | 0.6 | n/a | |
| Majority | 290,178 | 49.0 | |||
| Turnout | 592,060 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Source: CNN.com Election 2006 Coverage
[edit] Primary
Unofficial results from the Nebraska Secretary of State Office:
| Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2006 primary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Dave Heineman | 135,740 | 50.47 | N/A | |
| Republican | Tom Osborne | 118,778 | 44.17 | N/A | |
| Republican | Dave Nabity | 14,422 | 5.36 | N/A | |
[edit] External links
Candidates' campaign sites
Other election sites
[edit] See also
| Preceded by 2002 |
Nebraska gubernatorial election 2006 |
Succeeded by 2010 |
