Robert J. Krist (born March 29, 1957) is an American politician who served as the Nebraska State Senator from the 10th district from 2009 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party until 2017, his district includes

Bennington Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

and part of

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. Krist joined the Democratic Party in 2018; he was its nominee for

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 ...

in the 2018 election. He rejoined the Republican Party in 2022.

Personal life

Krist was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. In 1980, he married Margaret Mary O'Connor."Biography".Nebraska Legislature.
Retrieved May 19, 2017.
Archived February 2, 2017.
/ref>

Education

Krist graduated with honors from

Creighton Preparatory School Creighton Preparatory School (simply referred to as Creighton Prep or Prep) is a private, Jesuit high school for boys in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It was established in 1878 under the name Creighton College and is located in the Archdio ...

in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1975. He attended the University of St. Thomas in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

in 1979. He obtained a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in business administration and human relations from

Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri, United States. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. The university has an alumni net ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

in 1982.

Military career

Krist served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

from 1979 to 2000 and retired as a lieutenant colonel.Nebraska Blue Book 2014-15
p. 292. Nebraska Legislature website. Retrieved November 27, 2017. During his stint in the Air Force, Krist held key leadership positions directing critical missions including the high visibility Looking Glass mission at

Offutt Air Force Base Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the ...

Bellevue, Nebraska Bellevue ( French for "beautiful view"; previously named Belleview) is a suburban city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and had a population of 64,176 as of the 2020 census, ...

. He scheduled operations and flew missions on the Looking Glass EC-135 aircraft, which was the

Airborne Command Post Doomsday planeInside the President's Doomsday planes

for

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

.Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame
''Nebraska Department of Aeronautics website''. Retrieved February 21, 2015. Among other operations, Krist served in both

Operation Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

and

Desert Storm , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. In 1998, he was chosen as an Active Duty Air Force Advisor to then-Nebraska Governor

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 ...

and the Adjutant General of Nebraska. In 2014, Krist was inducted into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame. In 2017, the

Secretary of State of Nebraska The secretary of state of Nebraska is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Nebraska. In Nebraska, the secretary of state is elected for a four-year term. Vacancies are filled by appointment by the governor of Nebraska. The cu ...

, John Gale, appointed him to serve on the Honor a Veteran Honorary Steering Committee.Honor a Veteran Honorary Steering Committee
Nebraska Secretary of State website. Retrieved March 21, 2017.

Nebraska Legislature

Krist was appointed to the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislative branch, legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators ...

by Governor

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 ...

on September 11, 2009, to replace Senator Mike Friend. He won election to the office in 2010 and was reelected in 2014. Krist represented the 10th Legislative District, an area encompassing some of the northwest portion of

, the entire city of

and a north-central portion of Douglas County. In 2015, senators elected him Chairman of the Executive Board of the Legislative Council and he also served as Chairman of the Referencing Committee. His standing committee assignments in the Legislature include the Judiciary Committee, the Agriculture Committee, and the General Affairs Committee. He also serves on the Rules Committee and the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Committee.State Senator Bob Krist profile
Nebraska Legislature website. Retrieved March 21, 2017.

2018 gubernatorial campaign

In 2017, Krist expressed interest in running for the governorship of Nebraska in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. He initially indicated that he might run against incumbent

Pete Ricketts John Peter Ricketts (born August 19, 1964) is an American businessman and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Nebraska since 2023. A member of the Republican Part ...

in the Republican primary. In July 2017, he stated that he would run as a third-party candidate and that he would remain a Republican until the end of his term in the Nebraska Legislature. In September 2017, Krist announced his candidacy; he stated that he would change his party registration to "nonpartisan" later that day. In February 2018, he changed his registration to the Democratic Party and said he would run for that party's gubernatorial nomination. Krist won the primary election on May 15, 2018, defeating two other candidates. He was defeated in the general election on November 6, 2018 by Ricketts, with 41% of the vote against Ricketts's 59%.

Occupation

Krist is currently the owner of Dyna-Tech Aviation. He has served as a pilot since 2000 and the Chief Pilot since 2002.

Electoral history

2018

References

External links

Official Nebraska Legislature profile
wit
Unicameral Update newsBob Krist for Governor
campaign website *
Financial information
at

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying, including a revolving door database which documents the individuals who have worked in both the public sector an ...

"Sen. Krist ready to soar to new heights"

Unicameral Update
' ''Nebraska Legislature website'', November 10, 2009

''

Lincoln Journal-Star The ''Lincoln Journal Star'' is an American daily newspaper that serves Lincoln, Nebraska, the state capital and home of the University of Nebraska. It is the most widely read newspaper in Lincoln and has the second-largest circulation in ...

'', AP, September 11, 2009
"Bill: Cancer study will use Nebraska vets"
''

'', Nancy Hicks, February 3, 2010
"Nebraska budget bills advance in the Legislature"
''

'', JoAnne Young, March 18, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Krist, Bob 1957 births Living people Nebraska Democrats Nebraska independents Nebraska Republicans Nebraska state senators Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska Recipients of the Air Medal Candidates in the 2018 United States elections 21st-century members of the Nebraska Legislature