Two candidates were vying for the District 13 seat in northeastern Douglas County, which includes northeast Omaha. From left to right: Nick Batter and Ashley Spivey. (Photos courtesy of the candidates; Capitol photo by Rebecca Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner)
OMAHA – The final votes have been counted in a tight legislative race in northeastern Douglas County, and the winner is a founder and director of a nonprofit aimed at supporting Black women, women and girls.
After the final votes were counted on Monday, Ashley Spivey, the founder and executive director of I Be Black Girl, said extended her lead to 148 votes over Nick Batter, a veteran Army engineer who is now an attorney for Hawkins Construction. The number of votes separating Spivey and Batter is outside the margin for an automatic recount.
Ashlei Spivey from Omaha. (Courtesy of the Spivey Campaign)
Both touted their roots in Omaha and said they wanted to give back to their community Legislative District 13.
“I look forward to passing policies that put resources and investments back into our community and across the state – truly helping people gain access and opportunity to the good life Nebraska has to offer,” Spivey said in a statement. “It’s time to get to work!”
Batter did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the election results.
Spivey, a Democrat, and Batter, a registered non-partisanwere competing to fill the seat of term-limited Sen. Justin Wayne. Wayne and Sen. Terrell McKinney of North Omaha, both Democrats, endorsed Spivey.
Although the Legislature is officially nonpartisan, the Nebraska Democratic Party has made a significant investment in its effort to turn the seat blue, and top party leaders have often criticized Batter.
Nick Batter of Omaha. (Courtesy of the Batter Campaign)
The two candidates split the support of two former top Nebraska Democrats who represented Nebraska in the U.S. Senate and the Governor’s Mansion: Bob Kerrey, who has been at odds with the current party leadership, endorsed Batter, while Ben Nelson endorsed Spivey.
The Nebraska Democratic Party praised Spivey for connecting with middle- and working-class voters and for being its leader first Black woman elected to the Legislature since 2017when Wayne succeeded former state Sen. Tanya Cook.
Former state senator. Joann Maxey of Lincoln, appointed in 1977, was the first black woman to serve in the Legislature. Cook and former state Sen. Brenda Council, who represented North Omaha’s District 11, were the first black women elected to the unicameral legislature in 2008.
Final votes remain to be counted in Sarpy County in the tight Bellevue-Papillion District 3 race between Victor Rountree and Felix Ungerman. Rountree currently leads with 181 votes.
Sarpy County Elections Commissioner Emily Ethington said Friday that about 1,800 provisional ballots have been returned to her election committee and that those accepted would be counted this week. She did not respond to an email specifically asking when those ballots would be counted or how many ballots remained outstanding in District 3. There are five legislative districts in Sarpy.
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