Nebraska
'Defender of Downtrodden' keeps voters guessing as deadline nears to file for 2024 election | Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — The self-proclaimed “Defender of the Downtrodden” is keeping voters guessing about whether he might seek to reclaim his North Omaha seat in the Nebraska Legislature.
In a recent interview with the Examiner, former State Sen. Ernie Chambers — the longest serving legislator in state history — said he’s “thinking about” running against incumbent Sen. Terrell McKinney.
‘Thinking’ different than ‘planning’
But Chambers, now 86, added that thinking about it is “different than planning or intending to.”
The final deadline to file as a candidate for the Nebraska Legislature is March 1 at 5 p.m.
The filing deadline for incumbents came and went on Thursday with one big surprise: State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar declined to seek another term, setting off a storm of speculation about who might seek her seat in southeast Nebraska.
Sixteen of the 25 seats up for election in 2024 are “open” seats — seats lacking an incumbent — and four other races feature appointees making their first run to retain their post. Appointees, as history has shown, aren’t a shoo-in for re-election.
Big turnover coming
So a big turnover is ahead for the 49-seat, nonpartisan Unicameral.
As of Friday, only one legislative district in the state lacked a candidate: Fremont’s District 15, where two-term Sen. Lynne Walz is barred from running again due to term limits.
One remaining mystery as the deadline looms is whether Chambers — who served 46 years in the Unicameral — might seek a return to the Legislature, where he often dominated floor debate and listed his occupation as “Defender of the Downtrodden.”
Chambers has “returned” once before, reclaiming his seat in 2012 after being term-limited in 2008.
‘People won’t let me be’
After leaving office in 2021 — again, due to term limits — the veteran senator said he’d consider running again in 2024 if his health was good and his mind was “clear.”
Chambers said both of those boxes are checked, but “people won’t let me be.”
He said that those people believe he could block some of the “bad things” that have happened in recent sessions, and that he has a “magic wand” to do that.
“But there’s only so much one person can do,” Chambers said. “Even Jesus would end up on the cross.”
Still, he described what’s been coming out of Lincoln as “crazy” and “pathetic.”
“It’s like a throwback to all those years ago when you had nutty people bringing backward stuff,” Chambers said.
Yet, the former senator said, it’s hard to imagine driving back and forth to Lincoln, amid the cold, snow and slush of winter, to serve again.
“To be completely honest, I’m thinking about it, but I can’t say really say if I’ll do it,” Chambers said.
Here are the candidates who have filed as of Friday. Incumbents noted with *:
District 1
Mike Powers of Palmyra. A former school board member, he ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature in 2000, 2004 and in 2020.
District 3
Ben “Felix” Ungerman of Papillion. A retired Air Force colonel, he serves as deputy chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Don Bacon.
District 5
Tim Benak of Omaha. A 10-year veteran of the Omaha Fire Department as well as an adjunct instructor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Flint Harkness of Omaha. He serves as a resource teacher for special education.
Margo Juarez of Omaha. A member of the Omaha School Board, she is a retired federal tax examiner.
Gilbert Ayala of Omaha. He ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2016 and 2020, and for Omaha City Council in 2021.
District 7
Dunixi Guereca of Omaha. He is the executive director of Stand for Schools, which supports public schools and opposes school choice laws.
Christopher Geary of Omaha. A martial arts instructor/studio owner and former Marine, he ran unsuccessfully for Omaha mayor in 2017 and the Nebraska Legislature in 2012.
District 9
*John Cavanaugh of Omaha. A lawyer and member of a widely known political family.
Julia Palzer of Omaha. Also a lawyer, she previously served as dean of admissions at Creighton University School of Law.
District 11
* Terrell McKinney of Omaha. A law student at Creighton School of Law.
District 13
Tracy Hightower Henne of Omaha. A lawyer who serves as executive director of the Nebraska Innocence Project.
District 15
None
District 17
Glen Meyer of Pender. Chairman of the Thurston County Board, he has farmed and worked as a sales manager for a seed company.
District 19
*Rob Dover of Norfolk. Real estate manager/owner of a real estate firm. He was appointed to the Legislature in July 2022 by then-Gov. Pete Ricketts.
Jeanne Reigle of Madison. A farmer, she is a member of the governing board of the Northeast Community College.
District 21
*Beau Ballard of Lincoln. A small-business owner, he was appointed to the Legislature in December 2022 by then-Gov. Ricketts.
Seth Derner of Lincoln. He is co-founder of a business that designs instructional programs, curriculum and online learning modules.
District 23
Jacob Wolff of Colon. A Navy veteran who recently moved into the district after living in Omaha.
Dennis Fujan of Prague. A farmer and a Navy veteran, he is a past president of the Nebraska Soybean Association.
Alan Zavodny of David City. A farmer and former David City mayor.
Jared Storm of David City. A small-business owner and pilot.
Allie French of Prague. The co-owner of a bait shop and head of Nebraskans Against Government Overreach.
District 25
*Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln. A former county prosecutor, she was appointed to the Legislature in April by Gov. Jim Pillen.
Nicki Behmer Popp of Lincoln. A small-business owner, Realtor and member of the Lincoln Airport Authority.
Maher Aurang Zeb of Lincoln. A small business owner, he ran unsuccessfully for the Lincoln City Council in 2021 and the Lincoln Airport Authority in 2019.
District 27
Jason Prokop of Lincoln. The director of an early childhood care and education nonprofit, he once served as an adviser to then-U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson.
District 29
*Eliot Bostar of Lincoln. The executive director of the Nebraska Conservation Voters and Conservation Nebraska.
Phil Bruce of Lincoln. A cybersecurity analyst who launched a nonprofit that works on community building.
District 31
*Kathleen Kauth of Omaha. A professional mediator, she was appointed to the Legislature in June 2022 by then-Gov. Ricketts.
Mary Ann Folchert of Omaha. A former teacher.
District 33
Michelle Smith of Hastings. A mental health practitioner.
Dan Lonowski of Hastings. An Army veteran and retired teacher, now a manager for a substance and alcohol abuse prevention program.
Paul Hamelink of Hastings. A former member of the Hastings City Council and owner of a cigar lounge.
District 35
*Ray Aguilar of Grand Island. The retired owner of a janitorial service, he served in the Legislature from 1999 to 2008, then was re-elected to the post in 2020.
Dan Quick of Grand Island. A former state senator, who has served as president of a labor union, he was defeated for re-election in 2020 by Aguilar.
District 37
Stanley Clouse of Kearney. The mayor of Kearney, he is an account manager for Nebraska Public Power District.
Lana Peister of Kearney. A nurse and small business partner.
District 39
Tony Sorrentino of Omaha. A lawyer and certified public accountant, he is president/founder of a firm that helps health plans comply with federal law. Sorrentino ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature in 2006.
Allison Heimes of Omaha. A lawyer, she ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature in 2020.
District 41
Ethan Clark of Ord. He works in marketing for an agriculture implement company.
Nadine Diane Bane of Scotia. A retiree with experience in farming, nursing and trucking.
Daniel McKeon of Amherst. An Army National Guard veteran, he works as an agronomy consultant.
District 43
Tanya Storer of Whitman. A rancher and former member of the Cherry County Board, she ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature in 2020.
Tony Tangwall of Whitney. A rancher and senior pastor at his church.
District 45
*Rita Sanders of Bellevue. A former mayor of Bellevue and a commercial real estate developer.
Sarah Centineo of Bellevue. A nurse and attorney, she is a member of the Bellevue School Board.
District 47
Paul Strommen of Sidney. A member of the Sidney City Council and the Nebraska Oil and Gas Commission, he is an executive with an ethanol plant.
Larry Bolinger of Alliance. A property manager and Air Force veteran, he ran unsuccessfully for Nebraska attorney general in 2022 and for U.S. Congress in 2018 and 2020.
District 49
*Jen Day of Omaha. A small-business owner and fitness coach.
Caleb Muhs, Omaha. A financial consultant, he has degrees in law and finance.
Bob Anderson of Papillion. An Air Force veteran, he and his wife own child care businesses, and he formed a nonprofit geared toward defense-related research.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Nebraska senior linebacker Dasan McCullough declared for the NFL Draft earlier this week. He made the surprising decision to play in the Huskers’ bowl game against Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Many times, players will opt out of bowl games to not risk injury.
McCullough has a different approach. He is attacking the bowl-preparation practices as a training ground for his hoped-for NFL career.
And, he has a more heartfelt reason to play. His dad can watch him play.
“I know it’s [playing in Las Vegas] huge for all of the guys,” McCullough said at a news conference Friday. “It’s even bigger for me being back home so my dad can see my final game. It’s huge for me.
“I was really going to play regardless, but I was just waiting to see who we played against. I think Utah is a great opportunity and a top-15 team, so I’m excited.”
Bowl practices
The Huskers (7-5) are busy preparing to play the 10-2 Utes. Nebraska, with a victory, can finish with a better record than last year’s 7-6 mark. After a disappointing, up-and-down season, that should be strong motivation for the Huskers.
“I’m treating them [bowl practices] like I’m getting ready for the league [NFL], as I am,” said McCullough a 6-foot-5, 235-pounder from Kansas City.
“I’m working on my technique every day. I’m still improving on stuff I got to improve on. And at the end of the day, we still got to end this season on our terms. We feel like we didn’t do that with Iowa and this is a great second opportunity.”
McCullough said he enjoys working with interim defensive coordinator Phil Snow, who replaced John Butler, who was fired after the Iowa game.
“It’s been pretty cool, actually,” McCullough said. “You know, Snow’s already been really involved with our defense, so it hasn’t been like something like crazy, but he’s just more vocal now. But we all love him.”
Head coach Matt Rhule, who comes from a defensive background, also has been involved with defensive drills. So has special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler.
“Yeah, he’s been coaching with me pretty directly and that’s been pretty cool honestly because I’ve known coach Eckler since I was 10 or 11 when he was at Indiana,” McCullough said.
“So, it’s been pretty cool for us just kind of been going through this together. We’ve definitely been having our smiles out there.
“I’d definitely say coach Rhule, I guess as a whole, has the whole D-line very amped up every day. I mean, if you could see it now it looks crazy out there the way the guys are moving around and playing.
“So, it’s definitely that juice that they both brought. Coach Eck as well. He definitely brings a lot of juice.”
McCullough’s season
McCullough played in 10 games this season, starting seven. He missed a game due to injury. He has 21 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and one pass breakup. He is tied for the Huskers’ lead in sacks and is third in tackles for loss. He was a media choice as an honorable mention All-Big Ten player.
He was asked what happened in the final two games of the season, blowout losses against Penn State and Iowa.
“Just execution,” he said. “That’s all I can really say. Guys not executing right. We got to be more on point with our jobs.”
Nebraska is McCullough’s third school. He started at Indiana and played one season there. He transferred to Oklahoma and played two seasons with the Sooners. He was at Nebraska for one season.
Now, he hopes to play in the league, “on Sundays” as they say.
“I think I showed that I’m really relentless on all levels of the game,” McCullough said. “I give outstanding effort.
“I’m very well at getting off the ball and bending and rushing the passer. I could bring a lot as a stack-backer as well. So, I feel like my versatility is second to none, seriously.”
He was asked what he learned at Nebraska to prepare him for the NFL.
“A lot. Just taught me a lot of discipline, a lot of technique things, too, from a football perspective that coach [Phil] Simpson [assistant coach-outside linebackers] taught me along with coach Rhule that I’ll be taking to the next level,” McCullough said.
“They’ve redefined a lot of my technique as an edge. So, just taking that to the next level and, you know, there’s a little something I learned from all three schools that I feel like are going to help me be complete.”
Portal time
It’s December, so players are exploring the possibility of entering the transfer portal. Since McCullough has transferred twice, other players seek his advice.
“It’s really different now,” McCullough said. “I mean, there’s still a lot of guys who transfer for really good reasons.
“Obviously, as you guys know, when guys hit the portal the main thing now is the money. It’s how much money they can get and stuff like that. But more importantly it’s going somewhere where you have an opportunity to start and play.
“So I guess that’s kind of how I’ve been kind of trying to help the guys. They asked me a lot of questions about the portal since I’ve been through it and I just tell them the same thing.
“If you guys are looking for a perfect location, you’re not going to find one. There’s nowhere, there’s no perfect university out there. That’s why every school has guys enter the portal. It’s about situations for you.
“So I tell the guys that all the time. Definitely don’t make your decisions just based off money. You need to go somewhere where you’ll actually perform and play.
“Yeah, I transferred a lot, but I also played a lot at all three of those places. So, I was just kind of telling the guys that, to have the right mindset if they’re going to make that decision.”
And about those three transfers?
“I think I made the three perfect decisions,” McCullough said. “I think they all fell in line for an exact reason. So, I have no regrets about anything.”
More From Nebraska On SI
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
On Saturday afternoon (3 p.m. CT, Peacock), No. 13 Illinois (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten) will host No. 23 Nebraska (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) in Champaign for an early-season ranked-on-ranked Big Ten showdown.
The Cornhuskers made their season debut in the AP poll this Monday. Two days later, they dismantled – by 30 points – a Wisconsin club that entered the season ranked in the top 25, knocking off the Badgers 90-60 in Lincoln.
Blood in the water. 🦈📹https://t.co/LKzCqN3tcz
— Nebraska Men’s Basketball (@HuskerMBB) December 11, 2025
ESPN’s matchup predictor makes its pick for Illinois-Nebraska
Yet on Saturday, according to ESPN’s analytics, the odds are not at all in Nebraska’s favor. The matchup predictor gives Illinois a 77.5 percent chance of staving off the visitors this weekend.
And it makes sense for two key reasons: 1) Home-court advantage. Playing at home, especially in Big Ten action, already gives any team a massive leg up. For example, the Illini, despite losing 14 conference games over the past two seasons, have just five league losses on their home floor during that stretch.
2) Illinois is really good.
The AP poll doesn’t always reflect reality. Both of these clubs may, in fact, be better than their respective rankings in that poll. Nevertheless, the difference between the No. 20 team and the No. 25 team isn’t nearly as drastic as the difference between the No. 5 and No. 10 team.
The Illini should absolutely dominate the Cornhuskers on the glass. Given the relative shortcomings of Brad Underwood’s squad in that department in its past few outings, it’s possible the margin is closer than it should be, but Illinois will undoubtedly control the boards to at least some extent.
And given the level the Illini defense has been operating at, specifically on first attempts in each possession, the Cornhuskers are going to find points extremely tough to come by. Offensively, Illinois will surely rely heavily on its talent once again, staying away from any complex schematic design and simply letting its players operate.
As the old adage goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And with an Illinois offense currently ranked No. 5 in KenPom in terms of efficiency, it very clearly isn’t broken.
As Nebraska has done all season thus far to its opponents, Fred Hoiberg’s unit figures to make the Illini appear somewhat less than. But between the size and talent disparity, not to mention the home-floor advantage, Illinois will still very likely put an end to Nebraska’s exceptional undefeated start – even if it is a tighter battle than the Illini would like.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KSNB) – One lucky player who bought a Nebraska Pick 4 ticket for the Wednesday, Dec. 10, drawing is holding a ticket worth $3,125.
The ticket was sold at Pump & Pantry No. 16 at 109 Lincoln Avenue in York. The winning numbers from Wednesday’s Nebraska Pick 4 drawing were 02, 00, 01, 05.
Winning Nebraska Lottery tickets expire 180 days after the drawing. Tickets with total prize amounts of $501 to $19,999 must be claimed by mail or at a regional lottery claim center. Additional information about claiming prizes can be found at nelottery.com or by calling 800-587-5200.
Nebraska Pick 4 is a daily lotto game from the Nebraska Lottery. Players select four numbers, each from a separate set of digits from 0 through 9, for a chance to win up to $6,000. Players choose one of six bet types to set their play style and potential prizes. The odds of winning the $3,125 prize in Nebraska Pick 4 are 1 in 10,000.
Click here to subscribe to our KSNB Local4 daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Copyright 2025 KSNB. All rights reserved.
Could mini-liquor bottles be banned in Connecticut?
PennDOT, hardware stores prepare for first snow of season in Delaware Valley
South Florida powers clash in dramatic championship matchups: High School Hightlights
DOJ files suit to obtain 2020 election records in Fulton County, Georgia
New Report Illuminates Geothermal Cooling Potential in Hawaii – CleanTechnica
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Republican House leader signals plan to begin contempt proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton
Three years on, former MEP Kaili remains in limbo still awaiting trial
Afghan CIA fighters face stark reality in the U.S. : Consider This from NPR
Video: Behind the Supreme Court’s Push to Expand Presidential Power
Kilmar Abrego Garcia seen for first time since release, pledges to ‘continue to fight’ Trump admin
-
Alaska6 days agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Texas7 days agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Ohio1 week agoWho do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
Washington4 days agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa6 days agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
-
Miami, FL6 days agoUrban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
-
Cleveland, OH5 days agoMan shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
-
World5 days ago
Chiefs’ offensive line woes deepen as Wanya Morris exits with knee injury against Texans
