Nebraska's 2nd congressional district
| Nebraska's 2nd congressional district | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Current Representative | Brad Ashford (D–Omaha) | |
| Distribution | 97.86% urban, 2.14% rural | |
| Population (2000) | 570,421 | |
| Median income | $45,235 | |
| Ethnicity | 82.3% White, 10.2% Black, 1.8% Asian, 6.3% Hispanic, 0.6% Native American, 0.2% other | |
| Cook PVI | R+4 | |
Nebraska's 2nd congressional district encompasses the core of the Omaha metropolitan area. It includes all of Douglas County, which includes Omaha, and the urbanized areas of Sarpy County. In the United States House of Representatives, it is currently represented by Brad Ashford, a Democrat.
Electoral vote; 2008 presidential race
Nebraska and Maine are the only two states in the United States which distribute their electoral votes for president based on presidential candidates' performance in their respective congressional districts in addition to their statewide performance. The statewide popular vote winner for president receives two electoral votes, and the winner of each of Nebraska's congressional districts—there are currently three such districts—receives an electoral vote from the respective district.
While the rest of the state's electorate is heavily aligned towards the Republican Party, the 2nd district—centered as it is on the city of Omaha—is more closely divided between the two main parties—Republican and Democratic.
In the 2008 United States presidential election, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama targeted the district as a strategy of breaking a potential electoral-vote tie.[1] He won the district's electoral vote by a margin of 3,325 votes over his chief general election opponent, Republican John McCain.[2] However, McCain won Nebraska's statewide popular vote, as well as the district-wide popular vote for the other two Nebraska congressional districts, thus receiving four electoral votes from Nebraska.[2]
Obama's victory in the 2nd district meant that Nebraska's electoral delegation was split for the first time ever. It also marked the first Nebraskan electoral vote for a Democrat since 1964.[2] By contrast, in 2012 Gov. Mitt Romney won the 2nd district, as well as the overall statewide vote and the electoral votes of the first and third districts.[3]
Redistricting
In 2011, Nebraska lawmakers moved Offutt Air Force Base and the town of Bellevue — an area with a large minority population — out of the Omaha-based 2nd District and shifted in the Republican-heavy Omaha suburbs in Sarpy County. The move was expected to dilute the city's urban Democratic vote, which Democrats criticized as gerrymandering.[4]
List of representatives
| Congress | Representative | Party | Years of Service | District Home | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created | March 4, 1883 | ||||
| 48th | James Laird | Republican | March 4, 1883 – August 17, 1889 | Died | |
| 49th | |||||
| 50th | |||||
| 51st | |||||
| Gilbert L. Laws | Republican | December 2, 1889 – March 4, 1891 | |||
| 52nd | William A. McKeighan | Populist | March 4, 1891 – March 4, 1893 | Redistricted to the 5th district | |
| 53rd | David Henry Mercer | Republican | March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1903 | ||
| 54th | |||||
| 55th | |||||
| 56th | |||||
| 57th | |||||
| 58th | Gilbert M. Hitchcock | Democratic | March 4, 1903 – March 4, 1905 | ||
| 59th | John L. Kennedy | Republican | March 4, 1905 – March 4, 1907 | ||
| 60th | Gilbert M. Hitchcock | Democratic | March 4, 1907 – March 4, 1911 | ||
| 61st | |||||
| 62nd | Charles O. Lobeck | Democratic | March 4, 1911 – March 4, 1919 | ||
| 63rd | |||||
| 64th | |||||
| 65th | |||||
| 66th | Albert W. Jefferis | Republican | March 4, 1919 – March 4, 1923 | ||
| 67th | |||||
| 68th | Willis G. Sears | Republican | March 4, 1923 – March 4, 1931 | ||
| 69th | |||||
| 70th | |||||
| 71st | |||||
| 72nd | H. Malcolm Baldrige | Republican | March 4, 1931 – March 4, 1933 | ||
| 73rd | Edward R. Burke | Democratic | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935 | ||
| 74th | Charles F. McLaughlin | Democratic | January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1943 | ||
| 75th | |||||
| 76th | |||||
| 77th | |||||
| 78th | Howard H. Buffett | Republican | January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1949 | ||
| 79th | |||||
| 80th | |||||
| 81st | Eugene D. O'Sullivan | Democratic | January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951 | ||
| 82nd | Howard H. Buffett | Republican | January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953 | ||
| 83rd | Roman L. Hruska | Republican | January 3, 1953 – November 8, 1954 | Resigned after being elected to the US Senate | |
| 84th | Jackson B. Chase | Republican | January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1957 | Retired | |
| 85th | Glenn Cunningham | Republican | January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1971 | Lost renomination | |
| 86th | |||||
| 87th | |||||
| 88th | |||||
| 89th | |||||
| 90th | |||||
| 91st | |||||
| 92nd | John Y. McCollister | Republican | January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1977 | Retired to unsuccessfully run for U.S. Senate | |
| 93rd | |||||
| 94th | |||||
| 95th | John Joseph Cavanaugh III | Democratic | January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981 | Retired | |
| 96th | |||||
| 97th | Hal Daub, Jr. | Republican | January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1989 | Retired to unsuccessfully run for U.S. Senate (Defeated in Primary) | |
| 98th | |||||
| 99th | |||||
| 100th | |||||
| 101st | Peter Hoagland | Democratic | January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1995 | Defeated | |
| 102nd | |||||
| 103rd | |||||
| 104th | Jon L. Christensen | Republican | January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1999 | Retired to unsuccessfully run for Governor (Defeated in Primary) | |
| 105th | |||||
| 106th | Lee Terry | Republican | January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2015 | Defeated | |
| 107th | |||||
| 108th | |||||
| 109th | |||||
| 110th | |||||
| 111th | |||||
| 112th | |||||
| 113th | |||||
| 114th | Brad Ashford | Democratic | January 3, 2015 – present | ||
Competitiveness
Election results from presidential races:
| Year | Office | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | President | George W. Bush 57 - Al Gore 39% |
| 2004 | President | George W. Bush 60 - John Kerry 38% |
| 2008 | President | Barack Obama 50 - John McCain 49% |
| 2012 | President | Mitt Romney 53 - Barack Obama 46% |
Historical district boundaries
See also
References
- ↑ Curry, Tom (2008-11-02). "Is Obama-Terry the winning ticket in Omaha?". MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
If the national electoral vote tally is close, then the one electoral vote in Omaha would loom large. But with Obama apparently ahead in competitive states such as Virginia, the presidency may not hinge on Omaha's vote.
- 1 2 3 Staff reporter (2008-11-14). "Obama wins 1 of Nebraska's electoral votes". AP. Retrieved 2009-10-17. (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5kaEXuAwS)
- ↑ Walton, Don (2012-11-07). "Romney wins 2nd District electoral vote". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
Republican nominee Mitt Romney appeared to have won the battle for Nebraska's only competitive presidential electoral vote Tuesday night. [...] Romney held comfortable leads in both the 1st District, which includes Lincoln, and the vast 3rd District, as well as statewide.
(Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6Bzdk9RLy) - ↑ Schulte, Grant (May 27, 2011). "Nebraska Redistricting Maps Approved". AP. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
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Coordinates: 41°15′N 96°00′W / 41.250°N 96.000°W