The 2023 Lincoln, Nebraska mayoral election was held on May 2, 2023 to determine the mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska. It was preceded by a primary election on April 4 where the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advanced to the general election. Incumbent Democratic mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird ran for reelection to a second term in office, and was re-elected. The election was officially nonpartisan.[1]
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| Turnout | 46.22% | ||||||||||||||||
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 Results by city council district:
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Primary election
editDeclared
edit- Leirion Gaylor Baird, incumbent mayor (2019–present) (party affiliation: Democratic)[2]
- Suzanne Geist, former Nebraska state senator (2017–2023) (party affiliation: Republican)[3]
- Stan Parker, Christian radio executive and former University of Nebraska football player (party affiliation: Republican)[4]
Declined
edit- Jack Riggins, KLIN radio host (party affiliation: Republican)[5]
Endorsements
editLeirion Gaylor Baird (D)
- Organizations
Suzanne Geist (R)
- Federal officials
- Deb Fischer, U.S. Senator from Nebraska (2013–present)[8]
- Statewide politicians
- Jim Pillen, Governor of Nebraska (2023–present)[9]
- Organizations
- Lancaster County Republican Party[8]
- Lincoln Police Union[10]
Stan Parker (R)
- U.S. Representatives
- Tom Osborne, former U.S. Representative from Nebraska's 3rd congressional district (2001–2007)[4]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Leirion Gaylor Baird (incumbent) | 29,216 | 49.80% | |
| Republican | Suzanne Geist | 19,377 | 33.03% | |
| Republican | Stan Parker | 10,071 | 17.17% | |
| Total votes | 58,664 | 100.00% | ||
An additional 670 mailed ballots were received by the Election Commission in the days following the primary election, too late to be counted.[12]
General election
editCandidates
edit- Leirion Gaylor Baird, incumbent mayor (Democratic)
- Suzanne Geist, former Nebraska state senator (Republican)
Debate
edit| Host | Date & time | Link(s) | Participants | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leirion Gaylor Baird (D) | Suzanne Geist (R) | |||
| KLKN | April 23, 2023 | [13] | Present | Present |
Endorsements
editLeirion Gaylor Baird (D)
- Organizations
- EMILY's List[6]
- Lincoln Fire Fighters Union[7]
- Nebraska Democratic Party[14]
Suzanne Geist (R)
- Federal officials
- Deb Fischer, U.S. Senator from Nebraska (2013–present)[8]
- Statewide politicians
- Jim Pillen, Governor of Nebraska (2023–present)[9]
- Organizations
- Lancaster County Republican Party[8]
- Lincoln Police Union[10]
- Individual
- Stan Parker, Christian radio executive and former University of Nebraska football player[15]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Leirion Gaylor Baird (incumbent) | 44,496 | 54.65% | |
| Republican | Suzanne Geist | 36,727 | 45.11% | |
| Write-in | 192 | 0.24% | ||
| Turnout | 81,587 | 46.22% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Following the second hourly results pull, Leirion Gaylor Baird was declared the winner and Suzanne Geist conceded.[17][18]
References
edit- ^ "Mayoral election in Lincoln, Nebraska (2023)".
- ^ "Gaylor-Baird Announces Re-election Bid".
- ^ "State Sen. Suzanne Geist announces GOP bid for Lincoln mayor".
- ^ a b "Christian broadcaster Stan Parker announces run for Lincoln mayor". October 5, 2022.
- ^ "Gaylor Baird prepares to seek reelection as Lincoln's mayoral race starts to take shape".
- ^ a b Allison, Emily (February 23, 2023). "EMILYs List Endorses Leirion Gaylor Baird for Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska". EMILYs List Mailing List. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Sanderford, Aaron (March 16, 2023). "Lincoln Mayor Gaylor Baird endorsed by fire union". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Little, Amber; Shawver, Bryan (March 14, 2023). "Lincoln mayor candidate profile: Suzanne Geist". KOLN. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Dorn, Nolan (January 31, 2023). "Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen endorses Suzanne Geist for mayor". KLKN. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Sanderford, Aaron (January 26, 2023). "Lincoln Police Union endorses Geist for mayor". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Summary Results Report - Updated April 7th: OFFICIAL Final Results". Lancaster County Election Commissioner.
- ^ Porter, Chase (April 17, 2023). "Vote Early Now: Lincoln's May 2nd General Election". KLIN - News/Talk 1400. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ "WATCH: Geist and Gaylor Baird face off in Lincoln mayoral debate". KLKN.
- ^ "2023 Lincoln City Elections: General Election May 2". Nebraska Democrats. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Ozaki, Andrew (April 3, 2023). "Incumbent Leirion Gaylor Baird, Suzanne Geist race for Lincoln mayor". YouTube. KETV ABC 7. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Summary Results Report - Monday, May 8th: City of Lincoln General Election OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS". Lancaster County Election Commissioner. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Reist, Margaret. "Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird beats former state Sen. Suzanne Geist in contentious Lincoln race". JournalStar.com. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Little, Amber (May 2, 2023). "Leirion Gaylor Baird re-elected Lincoln mayor". 10/11 Now. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
External links
edit- Official campaign websites