Democrat John Ewing Unseats Three-Term Incumbent as Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska
Ewing becomes the first Democrat to win the mayoral election in Omaha since Jim Suttle in 2009.
The general election occurred today in Nebraska to elect the Mayor of Omaha. The two candidates appearing on the ballot were selected during the primary in April. While the office and election are officially nonpartisan, both candidates identified with a major political party.
In the race for Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, Democrat John Ewing won with 56.3% (48,693) against Republican incumbent Jean Stothert with 43.7% (37,758). 86,451 votes have been counted.
Ewing has served as Douglas County Treasurer since January 2007. He was also the Democratic nominee for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District in 2012 - holding Republican incumbent Lee Terry to a 50.8-49.2 victory.
Stothert has been the Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska since June 2013. She will now end her tenure after three consecutive terms in office.
The Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska serves for a four-year term with no limits on how many terms they may serve. Ewing becomes the first Democrat to win the mayoral election in Omaha since Jim Suttle in 2009. Stothert flipped control of the mayor’s office for Republicans in 2013. Moreover, Ewing will become the first Black mayor in the city’s history.
The Mayor also presides over a 7-member City Council. In the concurrent elections today, Democrats will continue to hold a 4-3 majority on the City Council - despite that body also technically being nonpartisan. Democrats have controlled the City Council since the 2009 elections.
According to 2023 estimates, Omaha is the 40th most populous city in the United States and the most populous city in Nebraska.