Incumbent Sen. Rob Clements won a second term representing District 2 in the Legislature on Tuesday.
Clements, of Elmwood, overcame an early deficit to Sarah Slattery of Plattsmouth to earn more than 57% of the vote.
The banker, insurance agent and tax preparer becomes the newest senator to represent a part of Lincoln and Lancaster County after the 2021 redistricting process.
Clements, who was appointed by Gov. Pete Ricketts in 2017 and won election to District 2 in 2018, said he worked hard to introduce himself to voters in the new areas of his district and felt he received a good response.
"I started out behind but moved ahead -- I'm real pleased with that," Clements, 71, said. "And I'm looking forward to bring some more tax relief to Nebraskans."
Two other legislative races in the Lincoln area narrowed significantly as the night went on, with the Lancaster County Election Commission signaling there were thousands of provisional and early votes votes left to count.
Danielle Conrad, 45, who represented north Lincoln as the District 46 state senator from 2007-2015, led 51.3% to 48.7% over Lincoln City Councilman James Michael Bowers after the Lancaster County vote total wrapped up.
Conrad, the former executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska, was formerly on the budget-setting Appropriations Committee and a member of the Redistricting Committee in 2010, which forced her to find compromise with senators who she otherwise did not have much in common with.
Those experiences, as well as a focus on "kitchen table issues," will help her hit the ground running when she takes office again, she said.
Both Conrad and Bowers are registered Democrats in a district that has gone blue for decades. Conrad – if her lead holds as outstanding ballots are counted in the next week – will replace Sen. Adam Morfeld, also a Democrat, who was term-limited.
In northeast Lincoln, George Dungan III also held a narrow lead in the District 26 race over Russ Barger to replace outgoing Sen. Matt Hansen, also a Democrat who is term-limited. Hansen won a race to be Lancaster County's clerk.
After Tuesday's vote count, Dungan was ahead of Barger 50.3% to 49.7%. Dungan is a registered Democrat; Barger, who won the primary over Dungan and two other challengers, is a Republican.
The former public defender said he believes his campaign's focus on "issues that matter to people," instead of "trying to scare voters," helped push him across the finish line in the contentious race.
"I think people saw what our campaign stands for, which is strong public schools, good-paying jobs, access to health care," Dungan said. "At the end of the day, that's what they want."
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Dungan said he plans to "represent everybody in northeast Lincoln" in the Capitol, and said he believes there are opportunities to find compromises that move the state forward.
Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould cruised to an easy victory over Roy Christensen, a former city councilman, to win the District 28 seat in the Legislature represented by Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks.
Raybould, a Democrat and former U.S. Senate candidate, received nearly two-thirds of the total votes cast by 12:15 a.m., including almost 75% of the early vote, to outdistance Christensen, a Republican.
Two other incumbent senators whose districts stretch into Lincoln -- Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams and Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth -- won uncontested races.
While the Democrats appear to have – for now – held their seats in the Lincoln and Lancaster County area, Republicans made gains across the state, which could have significant impacts on the coming legislative session.
While officially a nonpartisan body, votes in the Legislature on contentious issues typically fall along party lines.
That has allowed the 17 minority Democrats to block some legislation backed by the 32 Republicans in the majority. Under the current rules, it takes 33 votes to break a legislative filibuster.
While the incumbents won, results through early Wednesday morning appear to have shifted the balance of power.
Republican Sen. Merv Riepe, who served one four-year term before losing a re-election bid in 2018, won the District 12 seat vacated by Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop, a Democrat.
Sen. Kathleen Kauth, who was appointed by Ricketts last year to fill the seat held by the late Sen. Rich Pahls, defeated challenger Tim Royers -- a race between two people who petitioned to appear on the ballot.
Meanwhile, Stu Dornan, a Republican, was running ahead of Democrat John Frederickson for the District 20 seat formerly held by Sen. John McCollister, who was a Republican who often voted with the Democrats.
With some votes still to be counted, and the appointment of a likely conservative lawmaker to replace Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, who was elected attorney general, the Republicans appear to have secured a filibuster-proof supermajority of 34 senators.
The ground shift could pave the way for Republicans to ban abortion, enact a strict voter ID law supported by Nebraskans, pass a "constitutional carry" gun law, and remake the nonpartisan Legislature in 2023.
Jane Raybould (left) embraces her husband, Pepe Herrero, on Tuesday at an election night party in Lincoln. Raybould, who serves on the Lincoln City Council, was elected to serve District 28 in the Legislature.