OMAHA — With half of the seats in the Nebraska Legislature up for election in Tuesday’s vote, the tenor and political slant of the officially nonpartisan body hinted at a possible power shakeup.

But based on unofficial information results As of 2:20 a.m. Wednesday, Republicans appeared to maintain a 33-vote supermajority they first achieved in the spring, when state Sen. Mike McDonnell, a Democratic labor leader, changed his party registration to Republican. Thirty-three votes are needed to break filibusters and advance often-controversial legislation.

The Legislature is officially nonpartisan, although the 49-member assembly sometimes splits over party registration or rural-urban divisions.

All told, with a few votes left to count, Democrats and Republicans appear to maintain the same partisan structure they currently have: 33 Republicans, 15 Democrats, and one nonpartisan progressive.

Fifteen legislative seats were open, with no incumbent candidates.

In total, of the 25 seats contested, 11 featured a Republican versus a Democrat, eight featured two Republicans, two had Republicans facing nonpartisan candidates, one race pitted two Democrats, and one between a Democrat and a nonpartisan . Two Democrats ran unopposed.

Republicans and Democrats could flip districts

Two incumbent candidates trailed their opponents based on votes counted as of late Tuesday night: state Sen. Jen Day, a Sarpy County Democrat, and Ray Aguilar, a Grand Island Republican.

Bob Andersen, a Republican U.S. Air Force veteran and defense contractor, led the day 51.7% to 48.3%.

Another Sarpy County race, in Bellevue-centered District 3, Victor Rountree, a Democrat, held a slight lead over Felix Ungerman, a Republican — 50.9% to 49.1%.

Former state Sen. Dan Quick, a Democrat ousted by Aguilar four years ago, was ahead of Aguilar 50.6% to 49.4%. Aguilar served in the Legislature from 1999 to 2009.

Quick, a retired welder and mechanic and former union leader, had been the Legislature’s only Democratic representative west of Fremont four years ago.

Two Republicans faced off in District 15, currently represented by term-limited Democratic Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont. By the end of the night, longtime firefighter and paramedic Dave “Woody” Wordekemper led Roxie Kracl, president of Credit Bureau Services, 52.8 percent to 47.2 percent.

In South Omaha, Margo Juarez, a Democrat, ran Gilbert Ayala, a Republican, for the District 5 seat held by term-limited McDonnell in South Omaha.

Record campaign financing

Spending in nearly every Nebraska legislative election this election cycle has exceeded six figures, surpassing 2022 records.

In total, the legislative candidates had raised $9.2 million and spent $7.4 million starting with the October 21 deadline for campaign finance reports.

Spending in Nebraska Legislative Election Tops $7.4 Million, Exceeds 2022 Levels

By October 21, expenses for the Quick-Aguilar race had already exceeded $600,000. Juarez and Ayala spent the least of all 2,024 legislative candidates, about $47,000, based on the most recent records.

In 2022, the costliest legislative race was about $577,000. The position pays $12,000 per year, plus living expenses.

Two races in Lincoln — both involving Republican senators appointed by Gov. Jim Pillen who are running for office for the first time — cost just under $550,000.

The two appointees, state Senators Beau Ballard and Carolyn Bosn, led challengers Seth Derner, a Democrat, and Nicki Behmer Popp, one of three nonpartisan candidates running for the Legislature this fall .

The other two nonpartisan candidates this fall were in Douglas County:

• For Elkhorn-area District 39, Allison Heimes followed Tony Sorrentino, a Republican, for the seat vacated by term-limited State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, a Republican.
• For District 13, in the northeast part of the county, Nick Batter train Ashlei Spivey, a Democrat, for the seat vacated by term-limited state Sen. Justin Wayne, a Democrat.

State Senators Terrell McKinney of North Omaha’s District 11 and Eliot Bostar of Lincoln’s District 29 ran unopposed.

Veteran lawmaker Ernie Chambers — who advanced in the District 11 race but later dropped out — has become an official candidate for the seat. Although it’s unclear how many went to Chambers, there were 302 write-in votes in the race as of late Tuesday.

See unofficial Election Day results for all 25 legislative races below. Or, see the online visualization here.