The Trump Effect Is Here: Democrats Sweep to Victory in Historic Upset
The people of Omaha elected John Ewing Jr. to be the city's first Black mayor, in a surprising defeat for Jean Stothert, the city's three-term Republican mayor who outraised Ewing by nearly double, according to The Washington Post.
Although the seat itself is non-partisan, Ewing's campaign was able to channel the voters' negative feelings about Trump's wild first few months in office into a victory over his opponent, who had supported the president's run in 2024.
'Let's say no to the chaos and elect a mayor who will actually get things done,' said one ad run by Ewing's campaign.
Stothert got in trouble for using the same anti-trans Republican playbook that Trump employed in his campaign. One controversial mailer distributed by a PAC on behalf of her campaign claimed that 'Ewing stands with radicals who want to allow boys in girls' sports.'
But Ewing said he'd made no such statement. 'Nobody's ever brought that question up. So I believe it's a made-up issue by Jean Stothert and the Republican Party,' Ewing said, and his campaign sent a cease-and-desist letter to Stothert for the misleading attack.
Ewing's campaign was then able to use his opponent's attack to mock her focus on such a non-issue. 'Jean is focused on potties. John is focused on fixing potholes,' read one ad.
Stothert's campaign stood by the mailer, saying that it referred to groups that had lent their support to Ewing. During a press event last week, Stothert tried to defend herself, comparing the ads from the two campaigns.
'I would bring it back to, 'Why is John Ewing trying to relate me to Donald Trump and saying the city is in chaos?'' Stothert said. 'Donald Trump has not called me and asked me for advice.'
Stothert has tried to distance herself from the Trump administration, which she initially supported. During an appearance on the daily podcast Omapod earlier this month, she said, 'I can honestly say as a Republican, I don't like everything [Trump's] doing and decisions he's making. I wish he'd slow down on a lot of these decisions he's making. I don't advise the president.'
This election indicated that Nebraska's second congressional district, which handily backed Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election, is emerging as one of the most contested battlegrounds for control of the U.S. House in the coming midterms. Republican Representative Don Bacon's term will be up, and he will be forced to decide whether he will run for reelection in a district that includes the 'Blue Dot' of Omaha.
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