Omaha Mayoral Race
Democrats Will Decide
Update: Apparently a number of my readers are flabbergasted by this article. The proposed streetcar only contains 6 miles of track covering just over 3 miles. The point of the streetcar is to string a series of new developments together by consolidating parking and reducing congestition. This is not the traditional use of streetcar system. Traditionally, streetcars were vast network of tracks hundreds of miles long providing an affordable means of transportation. See link below for more:
https://northomahahistory.com/2015/03/12/a-history-of-streetcars-in-north-omaha/
I realize many have signed on to the McDonnell campaign for his opposition to the streetcar, but his victory would be largely a pyrrhic victory as McDonnell does not have a clear feasible legal way to stop the streetcar project. I must stress, I am agnostic on the streetcar project.
Right now, Omaha is set to have City elections soon and the primary is just around the corner and it is a nonpartisan race (https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_Omaha,_Nebraska_(2025) ).
A sizable number of Republicans and conservatives are supporting Mike McDonnell, including Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom. But their support is largely because they oppose the streetcar. At the same time, Republican City Council members have supported the streetcar, and two out of three have no opposition. For this reason, I believe the streetcar subject will largely be a non-issue.
McDonnell does have conservative appeal on basic issues, but this is a mayoral race in the very progressive city of Omaha, which may not play as well as he thinks. Teacher unions will object to his support for school choice and they are very strong in the Omaha Public School District. His pro-life position has Catholic support but progressives favor expansive access to abortion. Many left of center women will vote against him because of abortion. High hurdles for him to the Mayor’s office.
Realistically, Democrats, racial minorities, and progressives will choose the mayor as they have more motivation to show up due to competitive City Council races (https://ballotpedia.org/City_elections_in_Omaha,_Nebraska_(2025)). All the Democrats in office have challengers and Juanita Johnson and Ron Hug have multiple candidates running against them. I believe this means Stothert will win in the primary and confront either John Ewing or Jasmine Harris in the general election. But other combinations are possible.
Ewing has been the Douglas County Treasurer for a very long time. He is not polarizing or controversial compared to some of the other candidats. I suspect he will win in the primary but, as is true of all the other candidates, he will be defeated in the general election.
What are your thoughts?
Stothert will not be re-elected. She has lied about the restaurant tax, has biten every apple the Democrats have thrown her from DC, her pushing of the street car is the final straw. She has lied, she has twisted words to help the developers and Mutual. She should have told Mutual and the developers YOU build it, finance and be sure you're bonded and carry enough insurance to undo it when it fails - as it will. Having said that that waste of money is too far along to stop. MCDonnell running to stop it is playing on peoples emotions and even if he get in he will do the Stothert just as she did on the tax. Ewing or McDonnell will be the next mayor. She has lied and destroyed enough.
People with common sense (and not just conservatives) have to get serious about winning these local races. It seriously impacts everyone's lives whether the mayor and city council are good, decent people who genuinely care about the safety and well-being of city residents or if they're leftists looking to erode infrastructure while taxing and spending everyone out of the ability to live well and contribute to a growing and healthy community.
If you don't turn out to vote, you can still be taxed into poverty and homelessness--or into selling up and fleeing for a community somewhere else where you'll have to put in serious time and effort into creating new friends and connections why you get used to a new home in a strange place.
While there's nothing wrong with traveling the world and seeing new places, and moving from one community to another if that's your wish, wouldn't you rather do it because you want to and because it's a fine adventure than because you have no other choice economically?