Ray Aguilar

Aguilar worked as building and grounds supervisor for Grand Island Central Catholic middle and high school. He later owned a janitorial service, which he operated at the time of his departure from the Nebraska legislature.^[2]

In 1996, mayor Ken Gnadt appointed Aguilar to the Grand Island city council to serve the five months remaining in the term of a councilman who had moved outside the city limits. In 1998, Aguilar ran for election to the same council seat; he was defeated by incumbent Bob Sorensen, who received 892 votes to Aguilar's 850.^[3][4]

In 1999, governor Mike Johanns appointed Aguilar to fill a vacancy in the Nebraska Legislature, created by the resignation of Chris Peterson.^[3] He was sworn in on June 9, 1999,^[5] and became the first Latino in the Legislature.^[6]

In 2000, Aguilar ran for election to the seat. In the nonpartisan primary, Aguilar, a Republican, ran against Democrat Lonnie Logan, a member of the Hall County Board of Supervisors, and Libertarian Larry Gibreal, a realtor.^[7] When the primary election was held, Aguilar received 4183 votes, or 62.2% of the total; Logan received 2200 votes, or 32.7%; and Gibreal received 342 votes, or 5.1%.^[8] As the top two vote-getters, Aguilar and Logan moved on to the general election, in which Aguilar won the seat with 8090 votes, or 73.1% of the total; Logan received 2946 votes, or 26.6%; and there were 31 write-in votes, constituting 0.3%.^[9]

In 2004, Aguilar ran unopposed for a second four-year term in the legislature.^[3] Under Nebraska's term-limits law, he was ineligible to run for a third consecutive term in 2008.^[10] He was succeeded in the Legislature by Mike Gloor, a Republican from Grand Island.^[11]

In 2020, Aguilar announced his candidacy to return to the Nebraska Legislature. With 12,295 votes counted in Hall County, Aguilar won the seat back from state senator Dan Quick with 53.4% of the vote, according to preliminary unofficial results.^[12]

He and his wife, Susan Ann Aguilar, have nine children.^[13]