Even casual observers of the Nebraska Legislature expected Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar to easily win another four-year term representing five counties in extreme Southeast Nebraska.
But in February, just hours before the deadline for incumbents to file for reelection, Slama announced she would not seek another term, instead shifting her focus to "the joys and responsibilities of being a new mom."
The departure of Slama, an appointee of former Gov. Pete Ricketts who won a full term in 2020 with 68% of the vote, will mean District 1 voters will choose between two new names on the general election ballot.
Dennis Schaardt of Table Rock, a small-business owner who has served on local elected boards, will face Bob Hallstrom of Syracuse, an attorney and longtime lobbyist at the state Capitol.
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Both candidates are registered Republicans in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.
Schaardt, who has won endorsements from the Nebraska Farm Bureau and local elected officials, won the four-way primary election in May with 45%. Hallstrom, who has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, Rep. Mike Flood and Attorney General Mike Hilgers as well as the NEGOP, finished with 34%.
While each candidate has said their focus remains on finding ways to lower property taxes and generate new economic opportunities in rural parts of the state, Schaardt and Hallstrom each said it will be up to voters to decide whose experience matters more in state government.
As the owner of Den's Country Meats, the 58-year-old Schaardt described himself as "an outsider" to state politics who gained experience as mayor of Table Rock and a Pawnee County commissioner, which he said has kept him in close touch with the people of the district.
"I've worked with people, (Hallstrom) has worked in Lincoln," said Schaardt, who finished third in the 2020 primary election for the legislative seat. "I don't think he's as connected with us down here like I am. I have customers from all five counties."
Hallstrom, 68, said his 40-plus years working with lawmakers and staff in the Capitol would allow him "to be an effective and immediate spokesperson" for District 1, particularly when more than a dozen new state lawmakers will arrive in Lincoln.
A partner with Brandt, Horan, Hallstrom & Stilmock in Syracuse, Hallstrom is general counsel for the Nebraska Bankers Association and represents the National Federation of Independent Business, Nebraska Pharmacists Association, and Nebraskans for Workers' Compensation Equity and Fairness.
"I'm going to hit the ground running from day one," he said, "and be involved in important policy decisions from the get-go."
The candidates, while agreeing that reducing property taxes remained a priority for voters they have talked to in District 1, also expressed differences in how to achieve that policy goal.
Schaardt said "everybody is about taxes," but many farmers and others in rural areas of the district have been leery of a plan to replace school district property taxes with state funding because they feared a loss of local control.
At the same time, Schaardt said voters have also expressed frustration at a lack of willingness by lawmakers, including Gov. Jim Pillen, to find a "happy medium" he said could provide relief without shifting the tax burden too far.
"People are tired of the high taxes, and they are willing to cut deals that work," he said. "When you talk to people, they say we've got to do something, and everybody's got to give in a little bit."
Hallstrom said Nebraska's property tax crisis "didn't develop overnight" and would likewise not be solved quickly, but rather through a series of concerted efforts to reduce spending.
He said cuts to state and local spending identified by the Epiphany consulting firm hired by Pillen, as well as efficiencies highlighted by State Auditor Mike Foley, were a good first step toward tackling property tax reform.
"I would look on the spending side initially to address as much of the issue as we can," he said. "Those are two areas where we could probably make some headway without looking at the increase in taxes that were proposed during the special session or the regular session."
Both Hallstrom and Schaardt have similarities in other policy proposals, however.
Hallstrom said economic development in rural parts of Nebraska, including better job recruitment and retention, as well as more and better housing for the workforce remain the "meat and potatoes issues for people in the district."
Schaardt said that along with those issues, which he said amount to more and different jobs coming to communities in the district, he's heard expanded broadband internet as well as more access to adequate child care also remain important.
The candidates also said they remain opposed to abortion, describing themselves as "pro-life," and said the voters of the district reflected those values as well.
With the election a little more than a month away, Schaardt and Hallstrom reiterated voters would choose which kind of experience they want to represent them in the Legislature for the next four years.
Schaardt said he has worked closely with many local leaders in the area and understands the needs of District 1: "I'm the right guy for the job, I'm more connected with Southeast Nebraska and what's going on down here.
Hallstrom said he's the one to take up the mantle from the sitting state senator: "My goal is to continue the effective leadership of Sen. Slama and just be a difference maker for the district."