The 2017 Omaha mayoral election was held on May 9, 2017. Incumbent Mayor Jean Stothert won re-election to a second term in office.
The position of mayor in Omaha is officially a non-partisan position. A blanket primary was held on April 4, 2017. The top two finishers in the primary, Jean Stothert and Heath Mello, moved on to the general election.
Alongside the mayor, the Omaha City Council was up for re-election. It is also officially non-partisan. However, it remained controlled by a Democratic majority, as only district 7 has a general election between a Democrat and a Republican. Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 remained Democratic whereas districts 5 and 6 remained Republican. The incumbent Republican in district 7 was re-elected as well.
Anti-abortion Democratic Criticism Mello was opposed by NARAL Pro-Choice America due to earlier introduction of anti-abortion legislation, and support of legislation introduced by others. Pro-choice advocates also assailed Senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic Party Chairman Tom Perez for their support of Mello. The Huffington Post reported that Mello sponsored the final version of a 20-week abortion ban approved by the governor in 2010. He also cast anti-abortion votes, including supporting a requirement for physicians to be physically present during an abortion, which limited access to telemedicine abortion care. Additionally, he supported a law banning insurance plans in the state from covering abortions. He was endorsed in 2010 by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life.
Primary election Candidates Jean Stothert, incumbent Mayor Heath Mello, former State Senator Taylor Royal Christopher N. Geary Ean Mikale
General election Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of April 24, 2017Candidate (party)Total receiptsTotal disbursementsCash on handJean Stothert (R)$499,659$1,535,900$241,352Health Mello (D)$899,213$1,131,433$240,898Source: Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission
Results
Results by city council district + Results by City Council districtDistrictJean StothertRepublicanHeath MelloDemocratic Total # % # %17,38646.86%8,37553.13%15,75122,38828.59%4,43371.40%8,35235,20938.63%8,27561.36%13,48444,12249.17%4,26150.82%8,383510,31265.23%5,49534.76%15,807612,60965.31%6,69634.68%19,30579,38761.36%5,91138.63%15,298
References