New Years Recap: Looking back on Nebraska’s biggest political headlines

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – 2024 was a big year in politics. It saw Donald Trump re-elected to the White House, and in Nebraska, there was no shortage of drama. 10/11 NOW wanted to take a look at some of the top moments from the last 366 days.

Some major bills took to the Unicameral floor in the 2024 legislative session, like the controversial Sports and Spaces Act, which would have banned trans athletes from participating in high school athletics. That failed to get a filibuster-proof majority.

“As they say on the farm, it’s a hammer looking for a nail,” said State Sen. Merv Riepe after he declined to support it. “I support girls sports, but I don’t think we’ve got a problem to solve.”

A similar bill will likely come up again in 2025. Gov. Jim Pillen was dissatisfied with the movement on the property tax relief front.

“Enjoy half time,” Pillen said to state senators at the very end of the 2024 session. “We’ll see you here again soon.”

Pillen called a special session and rolled out his playbook, but as senators rolled up their sleeves in the heat of August, things didn’t go to Pillen’s plan. Only modest relief trickled out.

“I think this is good progress,” said Sen. Lou Ann Linehan at the end of the special session. “Not enough, but good progress.”

A shock visit from U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham at a closed-door meeting raised the specter of a last-minute change to the state’s splitting of electoral votes.

It was also busy year at the ballot box, with voters weighing in on a number of measures mandating paid sick leave and legalizing medical marijuana. Nebraska also kicked a “school choice” law to the curb and enshrined a 12-week abortion ban into the state’s constitution.

A surprisingly close race for the U.S. Senate pitted industrial mechanic Dan Osborn against incumbent Deb Fischer.

“I want to be a voice for workers because less than 2% of our elected officials come from in the House and Senate come from the working class, so I want to change that dynamic,” Osborn said.

Now, Fischer, with a roughly 7 point lead in the end, looks ahead to her third term facing a turbulent world.

“We’ve seen an increase in chaos around this world, not just in the Middle East, not just in Ukraine, but at our southern border,” Fischer said.

Some notable Nebraskans immersed themselves in that chaos. State Sen. Tom Brewer toured the battered Ukraine frontlines for his fourth time, relaying his finding to the U.S. Congress.

“The fight here is a fight for democracy,” Brewer said. “If we let democracy die here in Ukraine, nobody’s safe.”

And students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln protested the continuing war in Gaza.

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