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LINCOLN — Nebraskans took to the polls Tuesday to narrow the candidate fields in three of seven races for the State Board of Education and the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
The education-related offices are officially nonpartisan, so a candidate’s political party affiliation won’t appear on the ballot, and voters select the top two candidates regardless of party.
The races narrowed were southeast Nebraska’s State Board of Education District 5, NU Regents District 1 in Lincoln and NU Regents District 4 in Omaha, which is a special election for a four-year term.
A five-person Democratic field in Omaha’s NU Regents District 4 competed to fill the remainder of a term vacated by former NU Regent Elizabeth O’Connor of Omaha, a Democrat, and appointed NU Regent Joel Makovicka, a Republican, who will serve until January.
Susanne Shore, a community volunteer and former Nebraska first lady, and Justin Solomon, the chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Integrated Life Choices, led in unofficial results at the end of Tuesday. Shore had 35% of the vote. Solomon had 24%.
Other candidates were Larry Bradley, an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and natural resources district member with 20% of the vote; Jim Rogers, a former UNO math department chair with 16% of the vote; and Michael Skocz, a retired NU staff member and U.S. Army veteran with 5% of the vote.
In NU Regents District 1 in Lancaster County, Brent Comstock and Dr. Jeremy Hosein, both of Lincoln, will advance. Comstock carried a lead with 55% of the vote following Tuesday to Hosein’s 37% of the vote. Roland Nance of Lincoln had 8% of the vote.
This is the first time the newly redrawn district has gone to voters since 2020, and its the first contested race for the Lancaster County district since 2008. NU Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln declined to seek reelection to a fourth six-year term. He faced no opponents in 2014 or 2020.
The 2026 race between Comstock, the founder and CEO of BCom, an advertising and marketing firm based in Lincoln, and Hosein, a neurosurgeon and former student regent for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, could also end up being one of the most expensive in NU history. By April 27, Comstock had raised $282,000 and spent nearly $115,000, while Hosein had raised almost $304,000 and spent $95,000.
Clare is a registered Republican, as is Hosein. Comstock, whose firm typically works for Democratic political candidates, is a registered nonpartisan.
In NU Regents District 2, Elizabeth Butler of Papillion, the Omaha City Clerk, and Jill Wolfe of Elkhorn, who retired after a career as a registered dietitian, paramedic and entrepreneur, advanced. Butler had 57% of the vote to Wolfe’s 43%.
District 2 Regent Jack Stark of Omaha, elected in 2020, declined to seek reelection. He is a Republican, as is Wolfe. Butler is a registered nonpartisan.
The current partisan split on the NU Board of Regents is seven Republicans and one Democrat following O’Connor’s departure in January.
State Board of Education District 5 voters appear poised to advance Angie Eberspacher of Beaver Crossing, who had 46% of the vote, and Michaela Conway of Crete, who had 31% of the vote. Lana Daws of Seward had 23% of the vote.
Eberspacher, an agricultural coordinator and former teacher, and Daws, a retired educator and former elementary school principal, are Republicans, with Daws considered the more moderate of the two. Conway, a member of the Crete Public Schools Board of Education, is a Democrat.
Incumbent Kirk Penner of Aurora, a Republican, declined to seek reelection to a second four-year term. He endorsed Eberspacher, as have other board conservatives.
In the three other State Board of Education races:
- District 6 in central Nebraska: Incumbent Sherry Jones and Grady Erickson, both of Grand Island, will advance. Jones, a retired teacher and a Republican, had 64% of the vote to 36% for Erickson, an attorney and a Democrat.
- District 7 in western Nebraska: Incumbent Elizabeth Tegtmeier of North Platte, a homeschool mom, newspaper typist and a Republican, is running unopposed for reelection. She is in her third year as board president.
- District 8 in Douglas County and Omaha: Sherrye Hutcherson and Lou Ann Goding, both of Omaha, will advance. Hutcherson, executive vice president at Bellevue University and a registered nonpartisan, had 51% of the vote to 49% for Goding, a semi-retired consultant, former member of the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education and a Republican. Incumbent Deb Neary of Omaha declined to seek reelection to a third four-year term and endorsed Hutcherson.
The current partisan split on the eight-member State Board of Education is 4-4 between Republicans and Democrats.
