2010 Nebraska gubernatorial election
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The 2010 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the governor of Nebraska, who would serve a four-year term that began in January 2011. Republican incumbent Dave Heineman won, defeating Democrat Mike Meister in a landslide. Heineman easily won his party's nomination. Mark Lakers ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, but dropped out in July 2010.[1] Attorney Mike Meister was chosen as a replacement.[2] As of 2022[update], this was the last time Lancaster County voted for the Republican candidate. To date, this is the last time that the winner of the Nebraska gubernatorial election carried every county.
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November 2, 2010
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 County results Heineman: 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
Candidates
- Paul Anderson
- Christopher Geary, retired Marine
- Dave Heineman, incumbent Governor of Nebraska
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dave Heineman (incumbent) | 152,931 | 89.91 | |
| Republican | Paul Anderson | 8,980 | 5.28 | |
| Republican | Christopher Geary | 8,179 | 4.81 | |
| Total votes | 170,090 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Mark Lakers, investment banker
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Lakers | 57,463 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 57,463 | 100.00 | ||
Lakers was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. However, he dropped out of the race on July 2, 2010, due to a scandal involving campaign fundraising. Several donors listed on a campaign finance report denied ever giving money to Lakers, prompting criticism from both parties.[4]
After being forced from the race due to investigations by the Nebraska Attorney General's Office and the Nebraska Campaign Disclosure Board, Lakers pleaded guilty in September to a misdemeanor charge of abuse of public records and admitted to falsifying his campaign finance reports. As part of the plea, Lakers acknowledged that 51 of the 80 pledges listed on his reports were false and agreed to pay a $500 fine.[5]
Mike Meister, the Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Nebraska in 2002, was selected to replace him[6] and he selected Nebraska Public Service Commissioner and former state Democratic Party chairwoman Anne Boyle as his running mate.[7]
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report[8] | Safe R | October 14, 2010 |
| Rothenberg[9] | Safe R | October 28, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics[10] | Safe R | November 1, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[11] | Safe R | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics[12] | Safe R | October 28, 2010 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Dave Heineman (R) |
Mike Meister (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports[13] | October 7, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 66% | 24% | 3% | 6% |
| Rasmussen Reports[14] | September 2, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 61% | 28% | 3% | 8% |
| Rasmussen Reports[15] | July 19, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 71% | 18% | 2% | 8% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Dave Heineman (R) |
Mark Lakers (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports[16] | March 4, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 61% | 23% | 2% | 14% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dave Heineman (inc.) | 360,645 | 73.90% | +0.50% | |
| Democratic | Mike Meister | 127,343 | 26.10% | +1.64% | |
| Majority | 233,302 | 47.81% | −1.13% | ||
| Total votes | 487,988 | 100.00 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||