Lee Klein

In 1995, State Senator Connie Day announced that she would resign from the state legislature after being diagnosed with cancer.^[3] Governor Ben Nelson appointed Klein to serve out the remaining year of Day's term, and he was sworn in on December 20, 1995.^[4][5]

Klein ran for a full term in 1996, and was challenged by Norfolk City Councilman Gene Tyson for re-election.^[6] Though the race was formally nonpartisan, Klein, then a "moderate Democrat," was supported by the state Democratic Party, while Tyson, a conservative Republican, received support from the Nebraska Republican Party, which viewed the 19th district as a pickup opportunity.^[7][8][9] In the primary election, Klein narrowly placed first over Tyson, receiving 54 percent of the vote to Tyson's 46 percent.^[10] In the general election, Klein narrowly lost, receiving 47 percent of the vote to Klein's 53 percent.^[10]

After leaving the legislature, Klein served on the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources Board of Directors from 1998 to 2007.^[11] He was elected the president of the National Corn Growers Association in 2000.^[12] Following the election of George W. Bush as President in 2000, Klein was appointed to Bush's agricultural transition team.^[13] He ran for the Nebraska Public Power District from subdivision 10 in 2004, but was defeated by Virginia Froehlich, winning 45 percent of the vote to Froehlich's 55 percent.^[14]

In 2006, Klein, who had since switched to the Republican Party, was elected to the Madison County Board of Commissioners. He was re-elected in 2010, but was defeated for re-election in the 2014 Republican primary by former Commissioner Jim Prauner.^[15]

Following his defeat, Klein joined the staff of Republican Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, who represented the 1st district, as a field representative based in Norfolk.^[16] In 2018, Klein challenged Prauner for re-election, but lost the primary, recieinv 401 votes to Prauner's 807 and challenger Troy Uhlir's 997.^[17]

In 2024, Klein ran for the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources Board of Directors from subdistrict 2, challenging incumbent Mark Hall,^[11] whom he ultimately defeated.^[18]