Kate Witek (born October 22, 1954) is a former Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts, 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 ...

, and candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska The lieutenant governor of Nebraska is the highest-ranking executive official in the State of Nebraska after the Governor of Nebraska, governor. According to the Constitution of Nebraska, Nebraska State Constitution, in the event a governor dies, ...

. She was first elected Nebraska State Auditor in November 1998 as a Republican. She was reelected in 2002 as a Republican but was defeated in her attempt for a third term in 2006 after switching to the Democratic Party.

Political career and party switch

Witek began her career as a Republican, winning election to the nonpartisan

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

in November 1992 from District 31 in southwestern

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 ...

. She was the elected Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1994 and ran as a team with Gene Spence, the unsuccessful Republican candidate for Governor. After the 1994 election the legislature changed the Nebraska Constitution so that the position of

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 ...

became an appointed position instead of an elected position. Witek was reelected to the Legislature in 1996 but resigned from her District 31 seat upon her swearing-in as the first woman Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts in January 1999. She was reelected State Auditor in 2002. After running as the Lieutenant Governor candidate with unsuccessful Governor candidate

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 ...

, Republican Witek decided to switch parties in August 2006, citing concerns about a Republican Party that, in her own words, "...was only looking at controlling all the offices instead of looking at resolving the problems challenging this state." Witek had initially decided to forgo reelection in 2006, but after she switched parties, the

Nebraska Democratic Party The Nebraska Democratic Party (NDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Nebraska. Over 700 Democrats are elected across the state of Nebraska. Jane Kleeb is the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and also serves as the M ...

nominated her as their candidate for Auditor at their State Convention in

Grand Island, Nebraska Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 53,131 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Nebraska, 4th most populous ...

Personal life

Kate Witek is married to Charles Witek.

References

1954 births Living people Nebraska state auditors Nebraska Democrats Nebraska Republicans Nebraska state senators Women state legislators in Nebraska 21st-century American women 20th-century members of the Nebraska Legislature 20th-century American women politicians {{Nebraska-politician-stub

Political career and party switch

Personal life

See also

References