2025 Omaha mayoral election
Election in Nebraska
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The 2025 Omaha mayoral election was held on May 13, 2025, to elect the mayor of Omaha, Nebraska. A primary election was held on April 1, in which the two highest-placing candidates advanced to the general election on May 13.[1] Municipal elections in Omaha are officially nonpartisan.
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May 13, 2025
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Incumbent Republican mayor Jean Stothert ran for re-election to what would have been a record fourth term in office, but was defeated by Democrat John Ewing. Ewing became the first elected African American mayor of Omaha, and the first Democratic mayor to be elected since 2009.[2]
Background
Incumbent mayor, Republican Jean Stothert was re-elected in 2021 after defeating R.J. Neary by a margin of 29.62%. The last mayor affiliated with the Democratic Party to be elected was Jim Suttle in 2009.
The filing deadline to appear on the ballot was February 28, 2025.[3]
Primary election
Candidates
Advanced
- John Ewing, Douglas County Treasurer and nominee for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in 2012 (Party preference: Democratic)[4]
- Jean Stothert, incumbent mayor (Party preference: Republican)[5]
Eliminated in primary
- Terry Brewer, community organizer (Party preference: Independent)[6]
- Jasmine Harris, public health official and candidate for mayor in 2021 (Party preference: Democratic)[7]
- Mike McDonnell, state senator and former chief of the Omaha Fire Department (Party preference: Republican)[8]
Declined
- Pete Festersen, president of the Omaha City Council and candidate for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district in 2014 (Party preference: Democratic) (ran for re-election)[9][10]
Campaign
Key issues in the campaign included crime, infrastructure, and affordable housing. Controversies surrounding the Omaha Streetcar project and the usage of Tax Increment Financing have also served as the center of messaging and debates between candidates in the campaign.[11][12]
Candidate-related controversies
Controversy arose when an anonymous Reddit user posted screenshots of an email exchange between Nebraska Democratic Party chair Jane Kleeb and Mike McDonnell's campaign manager, which showed that Kleeb had sent photos of an anti-Stothert advertisement to McDonnell's campaign several weeks before it was released to the public. Both Democrats in the race, John Ewing and Jasmine Harris, criticized Kleeb's action. Rumors spread that the Nebraska Democratic Party was supporting the Republican McDonnell's candidacy, possibly in exchange for his vote to preserve Nebraska's split Electoral College vote system. These allegations were denied by McDonnell's campaign and by Nebraska Democratic Party executive director Precious McKesson, who affirmed the party's support for Ewing and Harris.[13]
McDonnell also attracted controversy over racially-charged remarks about a city official whom Stothert appointed to work on homelessness, claiming the employee to be "a DEI hire" and suggesting that the employee is responsible for the growing rate of homelessness. Stothert, Ewing, and Harris all criticized McDonnell's comments, with Stothert labelling the comments as sexist and Ewing characterizing the comment as McDonnell "resorting to bullying and intimidation."[14]
Stothert has also been scrutinized over her frequent absences during her tenure, and allegations that she has moved out of the state.[15][16]
Endorsements
- State senators
- Steve Halloran, 33rd district (2017–2025)[17]
- Burke Harr, 8th district (2011–2019) (Democratic)[17]
- Julie Slama, 1st district (2019–2025)[17]
- Local officials
- Mike Fahey, former mayor of Omaha (2001–2009) (Democratic)[17]
- P. J. Morgan, Douglas County commissioner from the 4th district (2010–present) and former mayor of Omaha (1989–1994)[17]
- Labor unions
- Individuals
- Dan Osborn, former president of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 50G (Independent)[17]
- Party chapters
- Douglas County Libertarian Party[20]
- Douglas County Republican Party[21]
- Governors
- Dave Heineman, former governor of Nebraska (2005–2015)[5]
- Jim Pillen, governor of Nebraska (2023–present)[22]
- Local officials
- Kathy Bossman, Omaha Fire Chief (2023–present)[23]
- Todd Schmaderer, Omaha Police Chief (2012–present)[19]
- Organizations
Debates and forums
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Independent | Democratic | Democratic | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
|||||||||
| Brewer | Ewing | Harris | McDonnell | Stothert | |||||
| 1 | March 11, 2025 | WOWT Omaha Press Club |
Brian Mastre | [25] | P | P | P | P | P |
| 2 | March 16, 2025 | KETV | Bill Schammert | [26] | P | P | P | P | P |
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of March 24, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate (party) | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Jean Stothert (R) | $423,487 | $772,831 | $264,907 |
| Mike McDonnell (R) | $282,352 | $240,064 | $279,751 |
| John Ewing (D) | $81,026 | $89,804 | $66,514 |
| Jasmine Harris (D) | $32,607 | $25,148 | $8,430 |
| Source: Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission[27][28] | |||
Results
- 40–50%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 30–40%
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jean Stothert (incumbent) | 27,245 | 36.22% | |
| John Ewing | 24,605 | 32.72% | |
| Mike McDonnell | 15,039 | 20.00% | |
| Jasmine Harris | 7,706 | 10.25% | |
| Terry Brewer | 563 | 0.78% | |
| Write-in | 50 | 0.07% | |
| Total votes | 75,208 | 100.00% | |
General election
Post-primary endorsements
- U.S. Senators
- Bob Kerrey, former U.S. senator (1989–2001) and former governor of Nebraska (1983–1987)[30]
- Ben Nelson, former U.S. senator (2001–2013) and former governor of Nebraska (1991–1999)[30]
- State senators
- Mike McDonnell, 5th district (2017–2025) and 2025 mayoral candidate (Republican)[a][31]
- Local officials
- Jim Cavanaugh, Douglas County commissioner (2015–present)[30]
- P. J. Morgan, Douglas County commissioner from the 4th district (2010–present) and former mayor of Omaha (1989–1994) (Republican)[30]
- Other local officials
- Justin Bibb, mayor of Cleveland, Ohio (2022–present)[32]
- Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania (2020–present)[32]
- Kate Gallego, mayor of Phoenix, Arizona (2019–present)[32]
- Todd Gloria, mayor of San Diego, California (2013–2014; 2022–present)[32]
- Tim Keller, mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico (2017–present)[32]
- Ron Nirenberg, mayor of San Antonio, Texas (2017–2025)[32]
- Satya Rhodes-Conway, mayor of Madison, Wisconsin (2019–present)[32]
- Labor unions
- International Association of Fire Fighters Local 385[31]
- Nebraska and Omaha AFL-CIO[31]
- Nebraska Building Trades Council[31]
- Party chapters
- Organizations
- National Conference of Democratic Mayors[32]
- Sierra Club Nebraska Chapter[34]
- Individuals
- Terry Brewer, pastor and 2025 mayoral candidate (Independent)[31]
- Terence Crawford, professional boxer[35]
- Labor unions
- Organizations
- National Latino Police Officers Association Omaha Chapter[31]
Debates and forums
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Ewing | Stothert | |||||
| 1 | April 17, 2025 | WOWT Omaha Press Club |
Brian Mastre | [37] | P | P |
| 2 | April 27, 2025 | KETV | Rob McCartney | [38] | P | P |
Fundraising
Polling
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Ewing | 53,671 | 56.81% | |
| Jean Stothert (incumbent) | 40,531 | 42.90% | |
| Write-in | 267 | 0.28% | |
| Total votes | 94,469 | 100.00% | |
| Turnout | 94,821 | 32.35% | |
| Registered electors[42] | 293,072 | ||
| District | John Ewing | Jean Stothert | Write-ins | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| 1 | 9,479 | 64.82% | 5,107 | 34.92% | 37 | 0.25% | 14,623 |
| 2 | 6,963 | 81.78% | 1,521 | 17.86% | 30 | 0.35% | 8,514 |
| 3 | 7,879 | 67.04% | 3,839 | 32.67% | 34 | 0.29% | 11,752 |
| 4 | 3,911 | 59.31% | 2,643 | 40.08% | 40 | 0.61% | 6,594 |
| 5 | 5,427 | 40.88% | 7,822 | 58.91% | 28 | 0.21% | 13,277 |
| 6 | 7,725 | 45.12% | 9,357 | 54.66% | 38 | 0.22% | 17,120 |
| 7 | 7,309 | 49.34% | 7,469 | 50.42% | 35 | 0.24% | 14,813 |
Analysis
The election results garnered national attention for several reasons. With his win, Ewing became the first elected African American mayor of Omaha and the first Democrat to win an Omaha mayoral election since 2009.[43] National analysts tied the race to an increase for support of Democratic candidates nationwide since the election of Donald Trump in 2024, whom Stothert publicly supported in spite of the Omaha-based 2nd congressional district of Nebraska providing a vote in the Electoral College for Kamala Harris.[44][45][46] Local analysts also noted parallels with the 2001 mayoral election, in which then-mayor Hal Daub lost to businessman Mike Fahey.[44]
Following the election, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen blamed lack of turnout from Omaha-area Republicans for Stothert's loss.[47] Other factors cited included the controversial streetcar project and continued dissatisfaction with the condition of local roads, an issue in the 2021 election as well.[44]
See also
Notes
- Partisan sponsors
- Poll conducted for McDonnell's campaign