Burke Harr (born October 13, 1971) is a politician from the U.S. state of

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. Harr was a member of 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 ...

, in which he represented the 8th legislative district in Omaha, consisting of the midtown neighborhoods of Dundee and Benson and the neighborhoods that surround

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 ...

. Harr was barred from reelection in 2018 due to term limits. Harr was born in Illinois. He grew up in Omaha, where he graduated from Creighton Preparatory School in 1990; he then attended the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. He subsequently studied law at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

. He returned to Omaha for a clerkship with the Nebraska Court of Appeals, then worked as a Douglas County prosecutor, practiced real-estate law, and co-founded a business consulting firm. 2010-12-30. Retrieved 2015-02-11. In 2010, incumbent legislator

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declined to run for re-election, instead running for the position of U.S. Representative. In the nonpartisan primary election, Harr won 41% of the vote; businessman John Comstock won 31%; and Richard Ream won 28%. As the top two vote-getters, Harr and Comstock moved on to the general election. Harr, a member of the Democratic Party, opposed proposed across-the-board spending cuts to balance the state budget; Comstock, a Republican described as a

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event, typically held in the afternoon, featuring the consumption of tea and light refreshments. Social tea drinking rituals are observed in many cultures worldwide, both historically and in the present day. A ...

supporter, favored reducing the government's budget and ultimately eliminating the state's income tax. In the general election, Harr defeated Comstock by a margin of 51%–49%. In 2014, Harr sought re-election to his legislative seat. He was challenged by Gwenn Aspen, a Republican property manager. Aspen was seeking office for the first time; she had been active in, and her husband Jeremy Aspen had been co-chair of, the Mayor Suttle Recall Committee, which in 2010–11 had made an unsuccessful attempt to recall mayor

Jim Suttle James H. Suttle (born June 13, 1944) is an American corporate executive, engineer, and politician who served as the 50th mayor of Omaha, Nebraska from 2009 to 2013. Early career Suttle attended West Virginia University, graduating with his bache ...

. In April, an Aspen mailing accused Harr of ignoring problems with Nebraska's "good time" law, which allowed convicts to win early release from prison; in 2013, one such convict,

Nikko Jenkins Nikko Allen Jenkins (sometimes spelled Nicholas on first name; born September 16, 1986) is an American spree killer convicted of committing four murders in Omaha, Nebraska, in August 2013. The murders occurred within a month after he had been re ...

, had committed four murders in Omaha. In the May primary, Aspen obtained 2183 votes to Harr's 2076. Both candidates moved on to the general election, in which a proposal to raise Nebraska's

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...

was also on the ballot. Harr supported the increase; Aspen opposed it. In the general election, Harr prevailed, with 4834 votes to Aspen's 3916."Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: General Election, November 4, 2014"
, p. 19.

Retrieved 2015-02-11. Harr was elected as the vice-chairperson of the Business and Labor Committee in 2013. He also served on the Agriculture and Revenue Committees. Harr was a member of the Tax Modernization Committee, which was tasked with conducting a comprehensive examination of Nebraska's tax system.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harr, Burke 1971 births Living people Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska Democratic Party Nebraska state senators University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Notre Dame Law School alumni American twins Lawyers from Omaha, Nebraska 21st-century members of the Nebraska Legislature