The 2021 Omaha mayoral election was held in 2021. Incumbent Republican mayor Jean Stothert was re-elected to a third term in office.[1] Stothert is the first person elected to a third consecutive term as mayor of Omaha in the modern era.[2]
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The position of mayor in Omaha is officially a non-partisan position. A blanket primary was held on April 6, 2021.[3] The top two finishers in the primary moved on to the general election which was held on May 11, 2021.
Alongside the mayor, the Omaha City Council was up for re-election. It is also officially non-partisan. However, it remained controlled by a Democratic majority, as only district 7 has a general election between a Democrat and a Republican. Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 remained Democratic whereas districts 5 and 6 remained Republican. The incumbent Republican in district 7 was re-elected as well.
Primary election
editCandidates
editDeclared
edit- Mark Gudgel, high school English teacher (Party preference: Democratic)[3]
- Jasmine Harris, public health official (Party preference: Democratic)[4]
- RJ Neary, real estate broker (Party preference: Democratic)[5]
- Kimara Snipes, member of the Omaha school board (Party preference: Democratic)[6]
- Jean Stothert, incumbent mayor (Party preference: Republican)[1]
Failed to qualify
edit- Dawaune Hayes, founder and director of North Omaha Information Support Everyone [7] (endorsed Harris, then Neary)
- Bill Queen, comedian (Party preference: Libertarian)
Declined
edit- Jim Cavanaugh, Douglas County commissioner (Party preference: Democratic)[8]
Debates and forums
edit| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Democratic | Democratic | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||||||
| Stothert | Neary | Harris | Snipes | Gudgel | Hayes | |||||
| 1 | March 31, 2021 | Big Mama's Black Men United |
N/A | P | P | P | P | A | A | |
Endorsements
editKimara Snipes (D)
- Federal officials
- Ben Nelson, former U.S. Senator and former Governor of Nebraska[9]
- Local officials
- Don Preister, Bellevue city councilor, former president of the Bellevue city council, and former state senator[9]
- Individuals
- Ann Ashford, attorney, wife of former U.S. Representative Brad Ashford, and candidate for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in 2020[9]
- Kara Eastman, nonprofit executive and nominee for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in 2018 and 2020[9]
Jean Stothert (R)
- Omaha Police Union[10]
- Individuals
- Warren Buffett, investor, business tycoon, philanthropist, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and world's seventh-wealthiest person. (Democrat)[11]
RJ Neary (D)[12]
- Federal officials
- Bob Kerrey, former U.S. Senator and former Governor of Nebraska[13]
- John Joseph Cavanaugh III, former U.S. representative for NE-02 (1977-1981)[14]
- State officials
- Burke Harr, former state senator[15]
- Local officials
- Mike Fahey, former mayor[16]
- Jim Suttle, former mayor[17]
- Garry Gernandt, former Omaha City Councillor[18]
- Vinny Palermo, Omaha City Council
- Organizations
Jasmine Harris (D)
- Local officials
- Dawaune Hayes[7]
Mark Gudgel (D)
- Individuals
- Steven Bonnell II, popular Twitch streamer, political commentator, YouTube personality, and Omaha native[21]
Results
edit
Stothert
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
Harris
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
Snipes
- 30–40%
No votes
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jean Stothert (incumbent) | 47,966 | 56.58 | |
| Democratic | RJ Neary | 13,162 | 15.52 | |
| Democratic | Jasmine Harris | 11,993 | 14.15 | |
| Democratic | Kimara Snipes | 7,469 | 8.81 | |
| Democratic | Mark Gudgel | 4,087 | 4.82 | |
| Write-in | 106 | 0.13 | ||
| Total votes | 84,783 | 100.00 | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- Jean Stothert, incumbent mayor (Republican)
- RJ Neary, real estate broker (Democratic)
Debate and forums
edit| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Participants | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee W Withdrawn | ||||||
| Stothert | Neary | |||||
| 1 | April 22, 2021 | WOWT | Brian Mastre | P | P | |
| 2 | April 26, 2021 | KMTV | Jon Kipper | P | P | |
| 3 | May 2, 2021 | KETV | Rob McCartney | KETV | P | P |
| 4 | May 4, 2021 | Omaha by Design | N/A | P | P | |
| 5 | May 6, 2021 | KFAB | N/A | P | P | |
Endorsements
editJean Stothert (R)
- U.S. Governors
- Dave Heineman, former Governor and former Lieutenant Governor[23]
- Local officials
- Donald Kleine, Douglas County Attorney, and former sheriff[24]
- Organization
- Individual
- Warren Buffett, investor and fifth-richest man in the world (Democrat) [26]
RJ Neary (D)[12]
- U.S. Senators
- Bob Kerrey, former U.S. Senator and former Governor of Nebraska[13]
- U.S. Representatives
- John Joseph Cavanaugh III, former U.S. representative for NE-02 (1977-1981)[14]
- State Senator
- County commission
- Mike Boyle, Douglas County Commissioner, former mayor[29]
- Country Treasurer
- John Ewing, Douglas County Treasurer[30]
- Local officials
- Ben Gray, Omaha City Council[31]
- Chris Jerram, Omaha City Council[31]
- Dawaune Hayes, founder and director of North Omaha Information Support Everyone[31]
- Garry Gernandt, former Omaha City Councillor[18]
- Jasmine Harris, public health official[31]
- Jim Suttle, former mayor[17]
- Mark Gudgel, high school English teacher[31]
- Mike Fahey, former mayor[16]
- Vinny Palermo, Omaha City Council[31]
- Organizations
- Omaha Federation of Labor[19]
- Omaha Labor Council[20]
- Nebraska Democratic Party[32]
- Individuals
- Jane Kleeb, Chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party[33]
Fundraising
edit| Campaign finance reports as of April 26, 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate (party) | Total receipts | Total disbursements | Cash on hand |
| Jean Stothert (R) | $1,129,681 | $1,535,900 | $406,219 |
| RJ Neary (D) | $675,381 | $728,668 | $53,287 |
| Source: Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission[34][35] | |||
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jean Stothert (incumbent) | 62,646 | 64.37 | |
| Democratic | RJ Neary | 33,822 | 34.75 | |
| Write-in | 859 | 0.88 | ||
| Total votes | 97,327 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Results by city council district
edit| District | Jean Stothert Republican |
RJ Neary Democratic |
Write-ins | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| 1 | 8,538 | 56.36% | 6,424 | 42.41% | 186 | 1.23% | 15,148 |
| 2 | 3,101 | 40.51% | 4,433 | 57.92% | 120 | 1.57% | 7,654 |
| 3 | 6,345 | 48.72% | 6,425 | 49.34% | 253 | 1.94% | 13,023 |
| 4 | 4,563 | 64.13% | 2,485 | 34.93% | 67 | 0.94% | 7,115 |
| 5 | 12,195 | 75.23% | 3,959 | 24.42% | 56 | 0.35% | 16,210 |
| 6 | 15,389 | 74.96% | 5,058 | 24.64% | 83 | 0.40% | 20,530 |
| 7 | 12,515 | 70.92% | 5,038 | 28.55% | 94 | 0.53% | 17,647 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Harris announces mayoral bid to challenge Stothert in 2021". KMTV. October 20, 2020.
- ^ Bandur, Michelle (May 13, 2021). "'It definitely was historic,' Mayor Jean Stothert celebrates unprecedented third consecutive term in office". KETV. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
- ^ a b "Local teacher running for Omaha mayor". KETV. September 29, 2020.
- ^ Mastre, Brian (October 20, 2020). "Jasmine Harris declares candidacy for Omaha mayor". wowt.com.
- ^ Sanderford, Aaron (December 9, 2020). "Local developer RJ Neary steps into Omaha mayor's race to challenge Stothert". Omaha.com.
- ^ "Kimara Snipes for Mayor". www.kimarasnipes.com.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "This Election Could Transform Policing in Omaha". The Appeal Political Report. March 30, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ "Cavanaugh says no to bid for Omaha Mayor". KETV. February 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Lundgren, Harper (February 2021). "Kimara Snipes formally announces candidacy for Omaha mayor". www.wowt.com.
- ^ a b Mastre, Brian (March 2, 2021). "Omaha Police Union endorses Mayor Stothert". www.wowt.com.
- ^ Henry Codes (April 16, 2021). "Warren Buffett endorses Jean Stothert for third term as Omaha mayor". Omaha World-Herald.
- ^ a b "Rj Neary for Mayor - Endorsements". Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ a b Ristau, Reece (February 22, 2021). "Former Rep. Cavanaugh, previous mayors endorse RJ Neary in Omaha mayor's race". www.omaha.com.
- ^ a b Neary, Rj. "John Cavanaugh is have backed Rj Neary". Rj Neary for mayor. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ Neary, Rj. "Burke Harr Endorses..." Rj Neary for mayor. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ a b Ryan, Matt (December 10, 2020). "Democratic candidate R.J. Neary kicked off his campaign along with former Omaha mayor Mike Fahey who introduced him via zoom". KMTV.
- ^ a b sambel, john (February 23, 2021). "Jim Suttle is have backed Rj Neary for mayor". Reddit.
- ^ a b Neary, Rj. "Garry Gernandt endorses rj Neary for mayor". Rj Neary for mayor. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ a b Jordan, Joe. "City's police union backs Stothert, Federation of Labor sides with Neary". News Channel Nebraska.
- ^ a b Dvorak, Gina. "Omaha labor council endorses mayoral candidate RJ Neary". wowt.
- ^ "This Week In Omaha - Episode 17"
- ^ "2021 Primary Election Official Results" (PDF). Douglas County Election Commission. April 9, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ "Primary Night". Facebook. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ "Mayor Stothert receives endorsements from FOP, Douglas County Attorney, and former sheriff". ketv.com. April 2021.
- ^ "Editorial stothert is an effective leader who deserves reelection". Omaha.com. April 25, 2021.
- ^ "Warren Buffett endorses Jean Stothert for third term as Omaha mayor". Omaha.com. April 16, 2021.
- ^ Neay, Rj. "Burke Harr Endorses..." Rj Neary for mayor. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ Neary, RJ. "Steve Lathrop endorsed Neary for mayor". www.nearyforomaha.com/. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ "Noteworthy endorsements". ballotpedia.org.
- ^ "Here is a list of our endorsements". www.nearyforomaha.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Democratic Party, Nebraska. "Neary for Omaha Virtual Campaign Kick Off!". nebraskademocrats.org/.
- ^ Democratic Party, Nebraska. "2021 Candidates". nebraskademocrats.org/.
- ^ Kleeb, Jane. "Congrats! We move forward together as a Democratic family". Twitter.
- ^ "Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission". Federal Election Commission. April 26, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ staff, Ballotpedia (April 26, 2021). "Mayoral election in Omaha, Nebraska (2021):Campaign finance". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "2021 General Election Official Results" (PDF). Douglas County Election Commission. May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ "Douglas County Election Commission | May 11, 2021, City of Omaha General Election | Official Results". Douglas County Election Commission. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
External links
edit- Official websites for mayoral candidates
- RJ Neary (D) for Mayor Archived January 7, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
- Jean Stothert (R) for Mayor Archived January 25, 2021, at the Wayback Machine