The 2006 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006; the

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

was held on May 9, 2006. Republican incumbent

Dave Heineman David Eugene Heineman (born May 12, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 39th governor of Nebraska from 2005 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 39th treasurer of Nebraska from 1995 to 2001 and 37th lieutenant gove ...

was re-elected to a full term, defeating Democrat David Hahn.

Republican primary

Candidates

, incumbent

Governor of Nebraska The governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential ...

*Dave Nabity, financial consultant, former Young Republicans state chair *

Tom Osborne Thomas William Osborne (born February 23, 1937) is an American former football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and politician from Nebraska. He served as head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1973 to 1997 (25 sea ...

, U.S. Congressman, former football coach

Campaign

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 Michael Owen Johanns ( ; born June 18, 1950) is an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Nebraska from 2009 to 2015. He served as the 38th governor of Nebraska from 1999 until 2005, and was chair of the Mi ...

resigned in January 2005 to become

United States Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organi ...

; this elevated

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

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 The Nebraska Cornhuskers football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten Conference. Nebraska has played its home games at Memorial Stadium (Linc ...

coach

—then serving in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

—and Omaha businessman Dave Nabity. 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. Osborne named Kate Witek, the

Nebraska State Auditor The auditor of public accounts of Nebraska, more commonly known as the "state auditor", is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Nebraska. Twenty-five individuals have held the office of auditor of public a ...

, as his running mate for the office of lieutenant governor. She had previously been the running mate of Gene Spence in the 1994 Nebraska gubernatorial election. After the Osborne-Witek ticket was unsuccessful in the Republican primaries, Witek switched parties and joined the Democratic party.

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Glenn R. Boot Jr., truck driver * David Hahn, attorney and internet development company CEO

Campaign

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 The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Ben Nelson Earl Benjamin Nelson (born May 17, 1941) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 37th governor of Nebraska from 1991 to 1999 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the D ...

reelected, it was very likely that most Democrats didn't want to face the possibility of running against the immensely popular Osborne.

Results

Nebraska Party primary

Candidates

*Barry Richards, farmer

Results

Independent candidates

*Mort Sullivan, perennial candidate

General election

Predictions

Polling

Results

References

External links

Official campaign sites (Archived)
David HahnDave Heineman
Other election sites

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nebraska Gubernatorial Election, 2006

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2006 United States gubernatorial elections November 2006 in the United States

Republican primary

Candidates

Campaign

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Campaign

Results

Nebraska Party primary

Candidates

Results

Independent candidates

General election

Predictions

Polling

Results

See also

References

External links