Karen Kilgarin

In 1980, Kilgarin challenged State Senator Patrick Venditte for re-election in the South Omaha-based 7th district.^[3][4] Venditte placed first in the primary election, winning 50 percent to Kilgarin's 40 percent and perennial candidate Jake McCourt's 10 percent.^[5] Kilgarin defeated Venditte in the general election, winning 55 percent to his 45 percent, and became the youngest member of the legislature.^[6]

Kilgarin initially ran for a second term in the legislature in 1984,^[7] but later announced that she would resign from the legislature and end her re-election campaign to become KETV's Lincoln bureau chief.^[8] She resigned from the legislature on May 1, 1984.^[9]

In 1992, Governor Ben Nelson appointed Kilgarin as his deputy chief of staff and director of public affairs.^[2] She left the Nelson administration in 1995 to become the director of communications and publications for the Nebraska State Education Association, and rejoined the administration in 1997 as Director of the Department of Administrative Services.^[10] Upon the election of Mike Johanns as Governor in 1998, Kilgarin left the department,^[11] and rejoined the State Education Association as the director of public affairs and communications.^[12]