Dan Watermeier emerged victorious in a hard-fought race for Nebraska Public Service Commission that reflected a surge in public attention on the office, largely attributable to its role in approving the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.
The Republican state senator and pipeline supporter from Syracuse defeated Democrat Christa Yoakum of Lincoln, a pipeline opponent, by about 3,700 votes, according to unofficial statewide results.
"It turned out better than we thought," said Watermeier, who will succeed Commissioner Frank Landis of Lincoln. Landis is retiring after representing District 1 on the commission for three decades.
Watermeier will leave the Legislature with a key vacancy.
His role as Executive Board chairman gives him oversight of the Legislature's day-to-day operations, which includes preparations for the upcoming session. "That's my priority right now," he said.
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Gov. Pete Ricketts will appoint someone to serve the remaining two years of Watermeier's legislative term in a district that includes all of Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee and Richardson counties, as well as most of Otoe County. It will be up to lawmakers to choose his replacement on the Executive Board.
Watermeier will go from having 48 colleagues in the Legislature to four on the Public Service Commission.
The commission regulates telecommunications carriers, natural gas utilities, major oil pipelines, railroad safety, passenger carriers (such as taxis and ride-hailing services) and household-goods movers, grain warehouses and dealers, modular home and recreational-vehicle construction, high-voltage electric transmission lines and private water company rates.
In the only other Public Service Commission race this year, incumbent Commissioner Tim Schram of Gretna, a Republican, handily defeated Democratic challenger Mike Forsythe of Omaha in District 3.
Election results
Election results for all statewide and Lincoln-area races
Medicaid expansion
Position |
Vote totals |
For Initiative 427 |
345,837 |
Against Initiative 427 |
304,253 |
Congressional races
Race |
Candidates |
Vote totals |
District 1 |
Kate Bolz |
116,120 |
|
Jeff Fortenberry, R |
179,557 |
|
Dennis Grace, L |
8,452 |
District 2 |
Donald Bacon, R |
162,087 |
|
Kara Eastman, D |
146,992 |
|
Tyler Schaeffer, L |
9,423 |
District 3 |
Mark Elworth Jr., D |
49,771 |
|
Dustin Hobbs, L |
10,723 |
|
Adrian Smith, R |
222,363 |
|
|
|
Lincoln mayor term limits
Position |
Vote totals |
For amendment |
51,720 |
Against amendment |
46,053 |
|
|
Lancaster County races
Race |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
County treasurer |
Matt Schulte (R) |
52,186 |
|
Rachel Garver (D) |
58,146 |
County clerk |
Dan Nolte (D) |
uncontested |
County assessor |
Rob Ogden (R) |
uncontested |
County sheriff |
Terry Wagner (R) |
uncontested |
County attorney |
Pat Condon (R) |
uncontested |
Public defender |
Joe Nigro (D) |
uncontested |
Clerk of district court |
Troy Hawk (R) |
uncontested |
County engineer |
Pam Dingman (R) |
uncontested |
Lancaster County Board
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
1 |
Tim Duey (R) |
4,556 |
|
Sean Flowerday (D) |
11,423 |
3 |
Deb Schorr (R) |
uncontested |
5 |
Todd Wiltgen (R) |
11,462 |
|
Rick Vest (D) |
12,274 |
|
|
|
Legislature
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
1 |
Janet Palmtag |
5,577 |
|
Julie Slama |
11,899 |
3 |
Rick Holdcroft |
8,582 |
|
Carol Blood |
8,779 |
5 |
Mike McDonnell |
6,559 |
|
Gilbert Ayala |
3,777 |
7 |
Tony Vargas |
6,819 |
|
Jorge Sotolongo |
1,919 |
9 |
John Cavanaugh |
8,003 |
|
Marque Snow |
6,690 |
11 |
Fred Conley |
3,330 |
|
Terrell McKinney |
5,820 |
13 |
Justin T. Wayne |
11,010 |
15 |
David Rogers |
6,210 |
|
Lynne Walz |
9,157 |
17 |
Joni Albrecht |
7,343 |
|
Sheryl Lindau |
3,576 |
19 |
Mike Flood |
15,200 |
21 |
Mike Hilgers |
9,895 |
|
Brodey Weber |
8,132 |
23 |
Bruce Bostelman |
11,287 |
|
Helen Raikes |
6,868 |
25 |
Suzanne Geist |
16,147 |
|
Stephany Pleasant |
8,104 |
27 |
Brenda Bickford |
5,448 |
|
Anna Wishart |
9,923 |
29 |
Eliot Bostar |
10,927 |
|
Jacob Campbell |
9,622 |
31 |
Rich Pahls |
10,197 |
|
Tim Royers |
9,093 |
33 |
Steve Halloran |
12,756 |
35 |
Raymond M. Aguilar |
6,570 |
|
Dan Quick |
5,688 |
37 |
Mercadies Damratowski |
4,098 |
|
John Lowe Sr. |
12,774 |
39 |
Allison Heimes |
11,457 |
|
Lou Ann Linehan |
14,554 |
41 |
Tom Briese |
15,804 |
43 |
Tom Brewer |
10,628 |
|
Tanya Storer |
7,691 |
45 |
Susan Hester |
7,671 |
|
Rita Sanders |
8,835 |
47 |
Steve Erdman |
14,901 |
49 |
Jen Day |
12,125 |
|
Andrew La Grone |
11,873 |
Public Service Commission
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
1 |
Dan Watermeier (R) |
72,956 |
|
Christa Yoakum (D) |
69,230 |
3 |
Tim Schram (R) |
94,743 |
|
Mike Forsythe (D) |
57,929 |
NU Board of Regents
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
1 |
Tim Clare |
92,526 |
2 |
Jack A. Stark |
96,770 |
State Board of Education
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
5 |
Patricia H. Timm |
36,803 |
|
Maris Bentley |
21,707 |
6 |
Maureen Nickels |
uncontested |
7 |
Robin R. Stevens |
uncontested |
8 |
Pat McPherson |
30,501 |
|
Deborah Neary |
43,528 |
SCC Board of Governors
District |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
At-large |
Timothy R. Cerveny |
81,405 |
|
Neal Stenberg |
82,575 |
1 |
Chuck Byers |
17,329 |
|
Jeanne H. Stec |
15,268 |
2 |
Kathy Boellstorff |
20,349 |
|
Chad Aldrich |
15,415 |
3 |
Edward C. Price |
32,588 |
4 |
Kristin E. Yates |
25,167 |
5 |
Arlyn Uhrmacher |
41,327 |
|
|
|
Lower Platte South Natural Resources District board
Subdistrict |
Candidate |
Vote totals |
1 |
Don Jacobson |
11,941 |
2 |
Ron Nolte |
12,778 |
3 |
Mike DeKalb |
6,243 |
|
Kenneth Vogel |
6,177 |
4 |
Gary R. Aldridge |
9,201 |
|
LeRoy W. Sievers |
9,199 |
5 |
John Yoakum |
4,402 |
|
Greg Osborn |
2,618 |
6 |
Anthony Schutz |
10,257 |
7 |
Chelsea Johnson |
8,933 |
8 |
Christine Lamberty |
7,807 |
|
Christy Eichorn |
4,505 |
9 |
Milt Schmidt |
4,712 |
|
Lisa Lewis |
7,518 |
10 |
Ray A. Stevens Jr. |
6,528 |
|
Bastienne Salners |
5,268 |
|
|
|
Seward County sheriff
Candidate |
Vote totals |
Joseph O. Yocum (R) |
3,059 |
Mike Vance (D) |
3,868 |
|
|
Retention of judges
Judge name |
Yes |
No |
Stephanie F. Stacy |
75,767 |
17,747 |
Julie A. Martin |
420,928 |
113,161 |
James Michael Fitzgerald |
395,604 |
130,312 |
Lori A. Maret |
64,891 |
20,225 |
Susan I. Strong |
69,033 |
16,152 |
Robert R. Otte |
65,830 |
19,367 |
Holly J. Parsley |
68,969 |
15,895 |
Thomas E. Zimmerman |
64,248 |
18,907 |
|
|
|
Charter amendment questions
Ballot question |
For |
Against |
Gender-neutral language |
50,325 |
15,449 |
Raising city bid threshold |
43,488 |
18,442 |
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