Joni Craighead

Joni Craighead
Member of the Nebraska Legislature
from the 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
2015
Preceded by John Nelson
Personal details
Born August 11, 1954
Political party Republican
Residence Omaha, Nebraska

Joni Craighead (born August 11, 1954) is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2015, she was elected to the Nebraska Legislature, representing a district in Omaha.

Early life and professional career

Craighead was born Joni James, on August 11, 1954, in Nebraska City. She graduated from Nebraska City High School in 1972. In 1976, she received a B.S. in medical technology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center; in 1982, a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas.[1][2]

In 1984, Craighead founded an image-consulting company;[3] in 1996, she wrote a book, First Impressions: Tips to Enhance Your Image, with a number of tips to help women interested in "enhancing both your inner and outer beauty".[4] She worked as a real estate broker and developer, and served as Governmental Affairs Director for the Omaha Area Board of Realtors.[1][2]

She married Michael Craighead, and the couple produced two children. In 2007, Michael died of cholangiocarcinoma; Craighead was one of the founders of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, serving on the board of directors from 2006 to 2008. In 2012, she married fellow realtor Dick Hoback, who brought two children to the ménage.[1][2][5][6]

Legislature

Craighead was active in Republican Party politics in Omaha. She was a member of the Nebraska Republican Party Central Committee, an alternate delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention, and at various times served as chair, vice-chair, and finance chair of the Douglas County Republican Party.[1][2]

In September 2013, Craighead announced that she would run for the seat in the Nebraska Legislature representing the 6th District in west-central Omaha.[6][7][8] The incumbent, John Nelson, was barred by Nebraska's term-limits law from running for re-election in the 2014 election.[9] A total of six candidates joined the race: three Republicans, two Democrats, and an independent. The Republicans were Craighead; Paul Anderson, a retired railroad mechanic who had unsuccessfully run for the Legislature in 1994 and 1998; and Patricia Hannan, a former aide to state senator Tom Baker and an unsuccessful candidate for the Legislature in 2006. The Democrats were Omaha attorney John Stalnaker; and Justin Spooner, a 23-year-old who had served as a page in the Legislature and had interned with U.S. senators Ben Nelson and Mike Johanns. The independent candidate was George Westphal, a retired mechanical technician for Millard Public Schools, who had unsuccessfully run for the Legislature in 2010.[10]

In the nonpartisan primary, Craighead won a narrow plurality, with 1581 votes, comprising 26.3% of the total. Stalnaker placed second, with 1438 votes, or 23.9%. Spooner received 1026 votes (17.1%); Hannan, 892 votes (14.8%); Anderson, 694 votes (11.5%); and Westphal, 380 votes (6.3%).[11]

As the top two vote-getters, Craighead and Stalnaker moved on to the general election. The two candidates differed on the proposed expansion of Medicaid under the provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act: Stalnaker was in favor of it, while Craighead was opposed. The two also disagreed on a referendum to increase Nebraska's minimum wage: Stalnaker said that he would vote for it, while Craighead stated that she would vote against.[8] When the general election was held in November 2014, Craighead narrowly defeated Stalnaker, with 5726 votes to his 5401 (51.5%–48.5%).[12]

In the 2015 session of the Legislature, Craighead was appointed to the Banking, Commerce, and Insurance Committee, and the Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee.[13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Sen. Joni Craighead—Biography". Nebraska Legislature. Retrieved 2015-03-03. Archived 2015-03-03 at Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "About Joni". Joni Craighead for Legislature. Retrieved 2015-03-03. Archived 2014-12-21 at Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ "Joni Craighead - 'First Impressions: The First Seven Seconds Count'". Omaha Jaycees. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  4. ↑ "First Impressions: Tips to Enhance Your Image" listing at Amazon.com. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  5. ↑ "Board of Directors". Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Joni Craighead to Run for Nebraska Legislature, District 6". Joni Craighead for Legislature. Retrieved 2015-03-03. Archived 2015-02-13 at Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "Legislative District 6 LB 703 – (2011)". Nebraska Legislature. Retrieved 2015-03-03. Archived 2015-02-05 at Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Gaarder, Nancy. "In legislative District 6 race, John Stalnaker favors expanding Medicaid; Joni Craighead doesn’t". Omaha World-Herald. 2014-10-29. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  9. ↑ Stoddard, Martha. "New Nebraska Lt. Gov. John Nelson not concerned about public scrutiny". Omaha World-Herald. 2014-09-30. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  10. ↑ "2014 Candidate Guidebook", p. 10. Nebraska Rural Electric Association. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  11. ↑ "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: Primary Election, May 13, 2014", p. 34. Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  12. ↑ "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: General Election, November 4, 2014", p. 19. Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  13. ↑ "2015 Legislative Committees". Nebraska Legislature. Retrieved 2015-02-22. Archived 2015-02-22 at Wayback Machine.

External links