Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2010

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In the Nebraska gubernatorial election of 2010, held on November 2, 2010, Republican Dave Heineman, the incumbent, defeated Democrat Mike Meister. Heineman's winning margin of 49 points was the largest gubernatorial win of 2010.

In the May 11, 2010 primary elections, Heineman was easily nominated for a second term. Nebraska Democrats nominated Mark Lakers without any primary opposition. However, in July, Lakers withdrew from the race, citing fundraising difficulties. He was replaced by Mike Meister at the state convention on July 19, 2010.

November 2, 2010 general election results[edit]

Results are complete and certified.^[1]

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

Inauguration and transition[edit]

Inaugural date[edit]

The Inaugural celebrations, themed "Celebrate Nebraska", were announced by Governor Heineman and First Lady Sally Galem on November 15, 2010.^[2]

A series of events beginning with a breakfast on Friday, January 7, 2011 and continuing through the weekend were all centered around the actual swearing in, scheduled for noon on January 6, 2011.

May 11, 2010 primaries[edit]

The official canvass and final count are available from the State of Nebraska.^[3]

2010 Race for Governor - Democrat Primary[4]
Candidates		Percentage
Mark Lakers (D)		100.00%
Total votes		57,463

2010 Race for Governor - Republican Primary[5]
Candidates		Percentage
Paul Anderson (R)		5.28%
Christopher Geary (R)		4.81%
Dave Heineman (R)		89.9%
Total votes		170,090

Race ratings[edit]

See also: Gubernatorial elections 2010, Race tracking

Polling[edit]

Candidates[edit]

Democrats[edit]

• After an uneasy July when they lacked a candidate following Mark Lakers' exit, the Nebraska Democratic Party got a candidate Mike Meister, who became the candidate on July 19, 2010. With the primary already in the past and given that Laker ran unopposed, Mr. Meister was automatically the official Democratic candidate for the general election. Mesiter is an attorney and an Army veteran, where he was part of JAG. He previously ran for elected office, unsuccessfully.

Nebraska Democratic State Chair Steve Achelpohl, speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado in September 2008, insisted that "we already have our eye on the Governor's Mansion and we're going to get started sooner rather than later."^[16] Despite assurances from the Democratic Governors Association leadership that no incumbent Republican governor goes unchallenged, no Democratic candidate, as of January 22, 2010, is currently running for governor. At one point, Mike Boyle, former Mayor of Omaha and Douglas County commissioner, had flirted with the idea of campaigning for the governor's seat^[17], but soon back off since he was "unwilling to subject his family, including 13 grandchildren who live in Omaha, to that kind of experience"^[18] the gubernatorial contest might bring.

Republicans[edit]

Dave Heineman

• Dave Heineman, the incumbent governor, announced his re-election bid on January 18, 2010.^[19]
• Christopher Nathan Geary, an ex-marine and martial arts teacher, made his candidacy official on June 29, 2009.^[20]
• Paul Anderson

Race background[edit]

Qualifications[edit]

Standard qualifications necessary to run for the gubernatorial office include being at least 30 in addition to being both a resident of the state of Nebraska and a citizen of the United States for at least five years prior to the date of the election.^[21] Each candidate for Governor, following each party's respective primary election, shall then select a person to be the candidate for Lieutenant Governor on the general election ballot. In the general election, one vote will be cast jointly for the candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor.^[22]

Democratics struggle to find a nominee[edit]

Democratic interest in taking the Governor's Mansion was one thing; finding a candidate to take on the task was another. The GOP had three candidates in the race by January 2010, while the Dems struggled before finding businessman Mark Lakers, who entered the race in late February^[23]. Lakers, who stepped forward more than he was actively courted, fared poorly. On July 2, 1020, Lakers abruptly exited the race^[24], in early July, a major set back for his party.

In a brief statement that was not even posted on Laker's now dormant campaign site, he pointed to a failure "to reach key milestones, including the financial support and endorsement of many major donors." When he spoke those words, his gubernatorial bid had just over $3,000 cash on hand, compared to $1.5 million reported by GOP opponent Heineman. He also pointed to personal attacks and the harsh race his party is facing, remarking that, " "... there is no reason to remain in this race if we can not run a competitive campaign ... and .... I do not see how we can .... The personal attacks ... have been very difficult..."

Lakers had also been under investigation by the Nebraska Attorney General for campaign finance questions when it came to light that he had listed somewhat vague promises of campaign donations as actual pledges on his financial reports^[25]. Leaders within the state Democratic Party had called for him to exit the race, and are now working to find a replacement candidate.

Gubernatorial electoral history[edit]

Presidential electoral history[edit]

See also[edit]

• Gubernatorial elections, 2010
• Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2010

External links[edit]

• Nebraska Secretary of State, 2010 Elections

Candidate pages[edit]

• Christopher Geary for Governor
• Dave Heineman for Governor (dead link)
• Marks Lakers for Governor
• Mike Meister for Governor

Footnotes[edit]

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