2006 Nebraska gubernatorial election
November 7, 2006
 
Nominee Dave Heineman David Hahn
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Rick Sheehy Steve Loschen
Popular vote 434,802 144,624
Percentage 73.4% 24.5%
Heineman:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Hahn:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Tie:      40–50%      50%
     No votes
Governor before election

Dave Heineman
Republican

 Elected Governor

Dave Heineman
Republican

The 2006 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006; the primary election was held on May 9, 2006. Republican incumbent Dave Heineman was elected to a full term, defeating Democrat David Hahn.

Republican primary

Candidates

Campaign

The Republican primary election had the unusual situation of an incumbent running against several members of his own party. Originally, the 2006 election would not have had an incumbent. However, this changed when Mike Johanns resigned in January 2005 to become United States Secretary of Agriculture; this elevated Lieutenant Governor Dave Heineman to the governorship. He then announced his intention to run for election to a full four-year term. The other two candidates for the Republican nomination were former Nebraska Cornhuskers football coach Tom Osborne—then serving in the United States House of Representatives—and Omaha businessman Dave Nabity.

In 2005, the three Republican candidates raised more than $2 million overall for their campaigns: Osborne $972,000; Heineman $922,000; and Nabity $150,000.

Osborne named Kate Witek, the Nebraska State Auditor, as his running mate for the office of lieutenant governor.[1] She had previously been the running mate of Gene Spence in the 1994 Nebraska gubernatorial election. After the Osborne-Witek ticket was unsuccessful in the Republican primaries, Witek switched parties and joined the Democratic party.[1]

Results

Primary results by county.
Map legend
  •   Heineman—70–80%
  •   Heineman—60–70%
  •   Heineman—50–60%
  •   Heineman—40–50%
  •   Osborne—40–50%
  •   Osborne—50–60%
Republican Party primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dave Heineman (incumbent) 138,216 50.26
Republican Tom Osborne 121,973 44.36
Republican Dave Nabity 14,786 5.38
Total votes 274,975 100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Glenn R. Boot, Jr., truck driver
  • David Hahn, attorney and internet development company CEO

Campaign

The Democratic primary election did not have any candidates until December 2005, when David Hahn announced his candidacy. Glenn Boot Jr. of Ashland was the other Democratic candidate, but he was disqualified due to a previous felony conviction. The election was not a high priority for Nebraska Democrats. While the main reason was focusing on getting U.S. Senator Ben Nelson reelected, it was very likely that most Democrats didn't want to face the possibility of running against the immensely popular Osborne.

Results

Democratic Party primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Hahn 68,004 91.57
Democratic Glenn R. Boot, Jr. 6,259 8.43
Total votes 74,263 100.00

Nebraska Party primary

Candidates

  • Barry Richards, farmer

Results

Nebraska Party primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nebraska Barry Richards 138 100.00
Total votes 138 100.00

Independent candidates

  • Mort Sullivan, perennial candidate

General election

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[3] Solid R November 6, 2006
Sabato's Crystal Ball[4] Safe R November 6, 2006
Rothenberg Political Report[5] Safe R November 2, 2006
Real Clear Politics[6] Safe R November 6, 2006

Polling

Source Date Dave
Heineman (R)		 David
Hahn (D)
Rasmussen October 19, 2006 70% 22%
Rasmussen September 26, 2006 72% 18%
Rasmussen August 17, 2006 71% 18%
Rasmussen July 17, 2006 66% 21%

Results

Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2006[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Dave Heineman (incumbent) 435,507 73.40% +4.72%
Democratic David Hahn 145,115 24.46% -3.06%
Nebraska Barry Richards 8,953 1.51% -2.29%
Independent Mort Sullivan 3,782 0.64%
Majority 290,392 48.94% +7.78%
Turnout 593,357
Republican hold Swing

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Don Walton (August 18, 2006), "Witek leaves GOP to join Dems", Lincoln Journal Star, p. 15, retrieved June 22, 2023
  2. 1 2 3 "Governor". Archived from the original on November 14, 2007.
  3. ↑ "2006 Governor Race Ratings for November 6, 2006" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
  4. ↑ "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  5. ↑ "2006 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Election 2006". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Governor and Lieutenant Governor". Archived from the original on May 7, 2008.

Official campaign sites (Archived)

Other election sites

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