Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2006

Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2006

November 7, 2006

Candidate Dave Heineman David Hahn Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 434,802 144,624 Percentage 73.40% 24.46%

Governor before election Mike Johanns Republican Elected Governor Dave Heineman Republican

The 2006 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006; the primary election was held on May 9, 2006. Republican incumbent Dave Heineman was elected to a full term, defeating Democrat David Hahn.

Republican primary

Candidates

• Dave Heineman, incumbent Governor of Nebraska
• Tom Osborne, U.S. Congressman, former football coach
• Dave Nabity, financial consultant, former Young Republicans state chair

Campaign

The Republican primary election had the unusual situation of an incumbent running against several members of his own party. Originally, the 2006 election would not have had an incumbent. However, this changed when Mike Johanns resigned in January 2005 to become United States Secretary of Agriculture; this elevated Lieutenant Governor Dave Heineman to the governorship. He then announced his intention to run for election to a full four-year term. The other two candidates for the Republican nomination were former Nebraska Cornhuskers football coach Tom Osborne—then serving in the United States House of Representatives—and Omaha businessman Dave Nabity.

In 2005, the three Republican candidates raised more than $2 million overall for their campaigns: Osborne $972,000; Heineman $922,000; and Nabity $150,000.

Results

Republican Party primary results
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dave Heineman (inc.)	138,216	50.26
	Republican	Tom Osborne	121,973	44.36
	Republican	Dave Nabity	14,786	5.38
Total votes			274,975	100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

• David Hahn, attorney and internet development company CEO
• Glenn R. Boot, Jr., truck driver

Campaign

The Democratic primary election did not have any candidates until December 2005, when David Hahn announced his candidacy. Glenn Boot Jr. of Ashland was the other Democratic candidate, but he was disqualified due to a previous felony conviction. The election was not a high priority for Nebraska Democrats. While the main reason was focusing on getting U.S. Senator Ben Nelson reelected, it was very likely that most Democrats didn't want to face the possibility of running against the immensely popular Osborne.

Results

Democratic Party primary results
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David Hahn	68,004	91.57
	Democratic	Glenn R. Boot, Jr.	6,259	8.43
Total votes			74,263	100.00

Nebraska Party primary

Candidates

• Barry Richards, farmer

Results

Nebraska Party primary results
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nebraska	Barry Richards	138	100.00
Total votes			138	100.00

Independent candidates

• Mort Sullivan, perennial candidate

General election

Polling

Source	Date	Heineman (R)	Hahn (D)
Rasmussen	October 19, 2006	70%	22%
Rasmussen	September 26, 2006	72%	18%
Rasmussen	August 17, 2006	71%	18%
Rasmussen	July 17, 2006	66%	21%

Results

Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2006

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Dave Heineman (inc.)	435,507	73.40%	+4.72%
	Democratic	David Hahn	145,115	24.46%	-3.06%
	Nebraska	Barry Richards	8,953	1.51%	-2.29%
	Independent	Mort Sullivan	3,782	0.64%
Majority			290,392	48.94%	+7.78%
Turnout			593,357
	Republican hold		Swing

See also

• Nebraska United States Senate election, 2006
• U.S. gubernatorial elections, 2006

External links

Candidates' campaign sites

• David Hahn
• Dave Heineman

Other election sites

• Politics1: Nebraska