A tight November race is shaping up in Sarpy County for the Papillion-La Vista legislative seat.
Voters in District 14 nominated Republican Jim Smith and Democrat Teresa Whitehead in Tuesday's four-candidate primary election. A dozen votes separated the two in unofficial returns.
Democrats Ron Withem and Nancy Thompson represented the district for 24 years before term limits opened the door for Republican Tim Gay's election in 2006. Legislative races are officially nonpartisan, but political parties rally behind their candidates.
Smith and Whitehead, both of Papillion, are seeking to fill the seat Gay is vacating after one term. Smith is an Omaha Public Power District manager. Whitehead is a senior civilian analyst at the U.S. Strategic Command.
In five other contested Omaha-area legislative elections, voters pushed incumbents to easy front-runner status.
But in District 16, incumbent Kent Rogert of Tekamah, a Democrat, was in a tight race with Lydia Brasch of Bancroft, a Republican. The district includes part of Washington County north of Omaha.
Rogert had 43 percent of the vote to Brasch's 39 percent. Republican Debra Bosshart of Arlington had 17 percent.
In other Omaha-area contested legislative races:
District 2 Incumbent Dave Pankonin led Nate Louderback by 54 percentage points. Both are Republicans.
District 6 Incumbent John Nelson and Todd Frazier, both Republicans and both attorneys, will advance to the general election. Nelson won by 44 percentage points. It was the second time the two have faced each other. In the 2006 primary, Nelson came in second and Frazier third.
District 8 Democrat Burke J. Harr, a lawyer, and Republican John Comstock, a small-business owner, emerged from a three-candidate field to replace Tom White, who is running for Congress.
District 10 Appointee Bob Krist led a three-candidate field and will face Tim Lonergan, a Metropolitan Community College board member, in the fall. Both are Republicans.
District 12 Incumbent Steve Lathrop led by 34 percentage points over John Lillis, a business owner and lobbyist for Nebraskans United for Life. Lathrop is a Democrat, Lillis a Republican.
District 18 Voters will get a rematch of the 2008 midterm election between incumbent Scott Lautenbaugh of Omaha and Carl Lorenzen of Blair. Lautenbaugh led Tuesday's vote by 12 percentage points. Both are Republicans.
Contact the writer:
444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com
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