Dave Heineman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dave Heineman

42^nd Governor of Nebraska
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2005
Lieutenant(s)	Rick Sheehy
Preceded by	Mike Johanns
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	May 12, 1948 Falls City, Nebraska
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Sally Ganem Heineman
Profession	Congressional Chief of Staff Office Manager
Religion	Methodist

Heineman (left) with HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt (center), and predecessor Mike Johanns (right) in 2006.

David (Dave) Heineman (born May 12, 1948, in Falls City, Nebraska) is an American Republican politician who currently serves as the Governor of Nebraska. He became Governor on January 20, 2005 following Mike Johanns' resignation to become United States Secretary of Agriculture in President George W. Bush's Cabinet.

On April 11, 2005, Heineman announced that he would be seeking election to a full four-year term. He had the backing of Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, though he faced a difficult challenge in the Republican primary from Omaha businessman Dave Nabity and former Nebraska Cornhuskers football coach and U.S. Representative Tom Osborne. Heineman took 49 percent of the more than 197,000 votes cast, and Osborne 45 percent [1].

The Lincoln Journal Star analyzed the race:

While Osborne captured populous Omaha and Lincoln, Heineman sealed his victory in rural counties and key population centers in western and central Nebraska’s critical Republican battleground...it was the political impact of two gubernatorial vetoes that appeared to lift [Heineman] into a late surge, especially in Osborne’s congressional district.

Heineman’s opposition to Class I rural school reorganization and the granting of resident college tuition rates to the children of illegal immigrants cut into Osborne’s support.

Osborne declined to sign referendum petitions seeking voter repeal of the rural school legislation and said he would have signed the resident tuition bill." [2]

Heineman faces Nebraska Party candidate Barry Richards and Democratic nominee David Hahn in the November 7, 2006 general election.

Heineman graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1970. He served two terms as the Nebraska State Treasurer from 1994 to 2001 and was appointed to the office of Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska on October 1, 2001, and was elected to his first full term in 2002.

[edit] External links

Preceded by Dawn E. Rockey	State Treasurer of Nebraska 1995–2001	Succeeded by Lorelee Hunt Byrd
Preceded by David I. Maurstad	Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska 2001–2005	Succeeded by Rick Sheehy
Preceded by Mike Johanns	Governor of Nebraska 2005 – present	Incumbent