Lincoln, Nebraska, held general elections for mayor, city council, and one seat on its airport authority on May 7, 2019. City elections are officially nonpartisan and political parties do not appear on the ballot, but candidates have the option to file with political parties. Of the six seats up for election, four were won by Democrats, one by a Republican, and one by a nonpartisan candidate.
Incumbent Mayor Chris Beutler (D) could not run for re-election due to term limits. At-large city council member Leirion Gaylor Baird (D) defeated District 1 city council member Cyndi Lamm (R) in the general election. Baird received 54.4% of the vote to Lamm’s 45.4% of the vote. They faced three other candidates (one Democrat and two nonpartisan candidates) in the officially nonpartisan primary.
The Lincoln city council is made up of four by-district seats and three at-large seats. All four by-district seats were on the ballot. District 3 council member Jane Raybould (D) was the only incumbent to seek re-election. She won another term on the board with 67.8% of the vote. Newcomers James Michael Bowers (D-District 1), Richard Meginnis (R-District 2), and Tammy Ward (D-District 4) all won terms on the board. The last time these seats were on the ballot was in 2015. That year, two Democratic candidates and two Republican candidates were elected.
One of five seats on the Lincoln Airport Authority was also on the ballot. Incumbent Nick Cusick (nonpartisan) received 66.1% of the vote to challenger Aurang Zeb’s (D) 33.1% of the vote.
Lincoln is the second-largest city in Nebraska and the 71st-largest city in the U.S. by population.
Additional reading:
https://ballotpedia.org/City_elections_in_Lincoln,_Nebraska_(2019)
https://ballotpedia.org/Lincoln,_Nebraska_municipal_elections,_2015
https://ballotpedia.org/Lincoln,_Nebraska
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