Republicans sweep State Board of Education races; nonpartisans win 2 NU Regents seats

Nov 04, 2026 | 3:53 pm ET

By Zach Wendling

Republicans sweep State Board of Education races, nonpartisans for two NU Regents seats

The 2026 candidates for Nebraska State Board of Education, left, and University of Nebraska Board of Regents, arranged by district. (Photos courtesy of the candidates/campaigns | Nebraska Capitol photo by Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN — Nebraskans chose five new faces for the State Board of Education and University of Nebraska Board of Regents in seven races across the state Tuesday.

Conservatives are on the verge of flipping a key seat and shifting the ideologically 4-4 State Board of Education red. The NU Board of Regents is set to shift more blue and purple.

Seven seats were up across the two eight-person boards, of which five had no incumbent running. Four were for the State Board of Education, where members serve four-year terms and oversee the Nebraska Department of Education. Regents, by contrast, serve six-year terms. Neither position includes a salary.

Both the State Board of Education and NU Board of Regents are officially nonpartisan, meaning candidates’ party affiliation doesn’t appear on the ballot. New board members take office Jan. 7.

State Board of Education

In Douglas County, Republican Lou Ann Goding led registered nonpartisan Sherrye Hutcherson for the Omaha-based District 8. Incumbent Deb Neary of Omaha, a Democrat, decided not to seek reelection and endorsed Hutcherson.

Goding led Hutcherson by 1,883 votes, or 2.4%, as of 6 a.m. Wednesday. Goding has declared victory in the race.

In an Oct. 8 pre-election interview, Goding recalled her service on the Omaha Public Schools Board of Education, where she was selected as president and vice president at a time when Republicans were a minority on the board. She said she always thoroughly researches what’s best for students and brings people together.

“I showed that I was fair and independent when it came to what was the right thing to do for students, and that that was where my focus was,” Goding said.

State Board of Education President Elizabeth Tegtmeier of North Platte ran unopposed for the board’s District 7 in western Nebraska. Incumbent Sherry Jones, a Republican like Tegtmeier, ran against Democratic challenger Grady Erickson for the Grand Island-based District 6. Jones defeated Erickson by 16,131 votes, or 24.4%, as of 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

For the board’s District 5 in southeast Nebraska, Republican Angie Eberspacher of Beaver Crossing defeated Democrat Michaela Conway of Crete. Incumbent Kirk Penner of Aurora, a Republican, decided not to seek reelection and endorsed Eberspacher.

Eberspacher led Conway by 9,300 votes, or 11.4%, as of 6 a.m. Wednesday. Conway has conceded and congratulated Eberspacher.

If the unofficial results hold, the State Board of Education would be 5-3, with a majority of Republicans.

The State Board of Education has set various priorities through 2030. These include improving 3rd grade reading proficiency to 75% on state assessments, 8th grade math proficiency to 80% on state assessments and math and reading proficiency of high school juniors to 71% and 73%, respectively, on the ACT. Other goals include reducing chronic absenteeism by 50%, halving the number of unfilled and vacant teacher positions and improving graduation rates to 94%.

NU Board of Regents

For the NU Board of Regents, two incumbents decided not to seek reelection — Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln for NU Regents District 1 (he was first elected in 2008) and Regent Jack Stark of Omaha for NU Regents District 2 (he was elected in 2020).

Regent Joel Makovicka of Omaha, who was appointed to NU Regents District 4 in February, did not run in a special election for a four-year term. He succeeded former NU Regent Elizabeth O’Connor of Omaha, who was reelected to a second term in 2024. She resigned in January as she faced a felony charge of driving drunk and causing serious bodily injury connected to a May 2025 crash. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in prison in August.

Clare, Stark and Makovicka are all Republicans. O’Connor is a Democrat. The board currently consists of seven Republicans and one Democrat.

In Lincoln’s District 1, registered nonpartisan Brent Comstock defeated Dr. Jeremy Hosein, a Republican, and will succeed Clare. Comstock led by 9,895 votes, or 14.3%. Hosein has conceded and congratulated Comstock, who celebrated his victory, too.

For District 2, which is split between Douglas and Sarpy counties, registered nonpartisan Elizabeth Butler leads Republican Jill Wolfe of Elkhorn to succeed Stark, by 7,810 votes, or 9.5%. Butler declared victory after noon Wednesday. Wolfe had not yet made a public post as of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

And in the special election to finish O’Connor’s initial term, former University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Regent Justin Solomon leads former first lady Susanne Shore by 11,477 votes, or 22.2%. Both are Democrats. Solomon declared victory at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Shore had not made a public post as of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

NU Regent Barbara Weitz, the board’s only current Democrat, had donated more than $121,000 supporting Comstock, Butler and Shore.

If the unofficial results hold, the NU Board of Regents would be 4-2-2, still with a majority of Republicans but split with two Democrats and two registered nonpartisans.

The regents have had to navigate slowing state investments into the NU system in recent years, and nearly all regent candidates say they want to be more active in connecting with faculty, staff, students, policymakers and community members. Multiple candidates have identified restoring trust within the NU community as a top goal.

The State Board of Education meets nearly every month, with the final meeting of the year scheduled for Friday. Regents meet every other month, with the final meeting of 2026 on Dec. 4.