Nebraska onAir

The Nebraska onAir Hub supports Nebraskans to become more informed about and engaged in local, state, and federal politics while facilitating more civil and positive discussions with their representatives, candidates, and fellow citizens.

  • Nebraska onAir is one of 50 state governance and elections hubs that the US onAir Network is providing to help reinvigorate US democracy.  This post has short summaries of current state and federal representatives with links to their complete Hub posts.  Students curate post content from government, campaign, social media, and public websites.  Key content on the Nebraska Hub is also replicated on the US onAir nations Hub at: us.onair.cc.
  • Nebraskastudents will be forming onAir chapters in their colleges and universities to help curate Hub content.  As more students participate and more onAir chapters are started, we will expand to include more state and local content as well as increase the number of aircasts – student-led, livestreamed, online discussions with candidates, representatives, and the public.

Find out more about Who Represents Me in Nebraska
Learn more about the US onAir Network

Nebraska onAir

The Nebraska onAir Hub supports Nebraskans to become more informed about and engaged in local, state, and federal politics while facilitating more civil and positive discussions with their representatives, candidates, and fellow citizens.

  • Nebraska onAir is one of 50 state governance and elections hubs that the US onAir Network is providing to help reinvigorate US democracy.  This post has short summaries of current state and federal representatives with links to their complete Hub posts.  Students curate post content from government, campaign, social media, and public websites.  Key content on the Nebraska Hub is also replicated on the US onAir nations Hub at: us.onair.cc.
  • Nebraskastudents will be forming onAir chapters in their colleges and universities to help curate Hub content.  As more students participate and more onAir chapters are started, we will expand to include more state and local content as well as increase the number of aircasts – student-led, livestreamed, online discussions with candidates, representatives, and the public.

Find out more about Who Represents Me in Nebraska
Learn more about the US onAir Network

Source: Wikipedia

OnAir Post: Nebraska onAir

Jim Pillen – NE

Current Position: Veterinarian and Regent
Affiliation: Republican

Pillen is a former member of the Nebraska State Board of Regents and its former chair from 1975 to 1978, Pillen was a defensive back for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team under Tom Osborne. He was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

He earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Pillen is a practicing veterinarian and also works as chair of Pillen Family Farms The business, which acquired DNA Genetics in 2003.

OnAir Post: Jim Pillen – NE

NE Unicameral

The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the supreme legislative body of the state of Nebraska. Its members are called “senators”, as it was originally the upper house of a bicameral legislature before the Nebraska House of Representatives dissolved in 1937.

The legislature is unicameral and officially recognizes no party affiliation, making Nebraska unique among U.S. states. With 49 members, it is also the smallest legislature of any U.S. state. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln.

Source: Wikipedia

OnAir Post: NE Unicameral

Pete Ricketts – NE

Current Position: US Senator since 2023
Affiliation: Republican
Former Position: State Delegate from 2005 – 2013; Governor 2014-2022
Upcoming Election: Running to retain US Senate seat

Ricketts is the eldest son of Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade. He is also, with other family members, a part owner of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs. In 1993, he went to work for his father’s business, initially in the call center for a few months, and subsequently appointed by his father to a number of executive positions, ultimately becoming the company’s chief operating officer during his father’s tenure as CEO.

Ricketts unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006, losing to incumbent Ben Nelson. He ran for governor of Nebraska in 2014, and after narrowly winning the six-way Republican primary, defeated Democratic Party nominee Chuck Hassebrook, 57% to 39%. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate by his gubernatorial successor, Jim Pillen, to fill the vacancy created when Ben Sasse resigned to become president of the University of Florida.

OnAir Post: Pete Ricketts – NE

Deb Fischer – NE

Current Position: US Senator since 2013
Affiliation: Republican
Former Position: State Delegate from 2005 – 2013

From 1990 to 2004, Fischer served on the Valentine Rural High School Board of Education. In 2004, she was elected to the Nebraska Legislature, representing the 43rd district for two terms. Fischer ran for the U.S. Senate in 2012 and was initially seen as a long-shot candidate, but pulled off an unexpected victory against state attorney general Jon Bruning in the Republican primary; in the general election, she defeated former Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey and was the only Republican to flip a Senate seat in the 2012 elections.

Featured Quote: 
Nebraska is so fortunate to have @UNMC and @NebraskaMed, which lead the nation in research and development of new techniques in health care. Thank you for showing me around your cardiac catheterization lab. The work you do is so important!

Senator Deb Fischer Speaks Against S.1, For the People Act at Senate Rules Committee

OnAir Post: Deb Fischer – NE

Nebraska Votes in 2024

Federal & state elections on the ballot:  3 US House members, Governor, and State Senate members

Ballot measures:

The Nebraska Division of Elections, part of the Secretary of State, oversees all Nebraska elections.

OnAir Post: Nebraska Votes in 2024

Nebraska Collaborators

The US onAir Network will be working with volunteers from Nebraska universities, colleges, and nonprofit organizations to oversee the curation and moderation of posts, aircasts (online discussions), and in person events for the Nebraska onAir Hub …  related to federal, state, and local elections and government.

Our first outreach will be to University of Nebraska partly because of its proximity to the state capital. We have identified many of University of Nebraska’s civic engagement, academic, internship and research programs related to making democracy and civic responsibility a focus of higher learning on their campus … for students, faculty, staff, and local community. This post, over time, will have similar information on other collaborating organizations in the state.

Contact ben.murphy@onair.cc for more information on how to involve your organization.

About Nebraska

Nebraska is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. It is the only triply landlocked U.S. state.

Nebraska’s area is just over 77,220 square miles (200,000 km2) with a population of over 1.9 million. Its capital is Lincoln, and its largest city is Omaha, which is on the Missouri River.

Government Website    Wikipedia page 

OnAir Post: About Nebraska

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