The 2025 Omaha mayoral election was held on May 13, 2025, to elect the mayor of Omaha, Nebraska. A primary election was held on April 1, in which the two highest-placing candidates advanced to the general election on May 13. Municipal elections in Omaha are officially nonpartisan.
Incumbent Republican mayor Jean Stothert ran for re-election to what would have been a record fourth term in office, but was defeated by Democrat John Ewing. Ewing became the first elected African American mayor of Omaha, and the first Democratic mayor to be elected since 2009.
Background Incumbent mayor, Republican Jean Stothert was re-elected in 2021 after defeating R.J. Neary by a margin of 29.62%. The last mayor affiliated with the Democratic Party to be elected was Jim Suttle in 2009.
The filing deadline to appear on the ballot was February 28, 2025.
Primary election
Candidates Advanced John Ewing, Douglas County Treasurer and nominee for in 2012 (Party preference: Democratic) Jean Stothert, incumbent mayor (Party preference: Republican)
Eliminated in primary Terry Brewer, community organizer (Party preference: Independent) Jasmine Harris, public health official and candidate for mayor in 2021 (Party preference: Democratic) Mike McDonnell, state senator and former chief of the Omaha Fire Department (Party preference: Republican)
Declined Pete Festersen, president of the Omaha City Council and candidate for in 2014 (Party preference: Democratic) (ran for re-election)
Campaign Key issues in the campaign included crime, infrastructure, and affordable housing. Controversies surrounding the Omaha Streetcar project and the usage of Tax Increment Financing have also served as the center of messaging and debates between candidates in the campaign.
Candidate-related controversies Controversy arose when an anonymous Reddit user posted screenshots of an email exchange between Nebraska Democratic Party chair Jane Kleeb and Mike McDonnell's campaign manager, which showed that Kleeb had sent photos of an anti-Stothert advertisement to McDonnell's campaign several weeks before it was released to the public. Both Democrats in the race, John Ewing and Jasmine Harris, criticized Kleeb's action. Rumors spread that the Nebraska Democratic Party was supporting the Republican McDonnell's candidacy, possibly in exchange for his vote to preserve Nebraska's split Electoral College vote system. These allegations were denied by McDonnell's campaign and by Nebraska Democratic Party executive director Precious McKesson, who affirmed the party's support for Ewing and Harris.
McDonnell also attracted controversy over racially-charged remarks about a city official whom Stothert appointed to work on homelessness, claiming the employee to be "a DEI hire" and suggesting that the employee is responsible for the growing rate of homelessness. Stothert, Ewing, and Harris all criticized McDonnell's comments, with Stothert labelling the comments as sexist and Ewing characterizing the comment as McDonnell "resorting to bullying and intimidation."
Stothert has also been scrutinized over her frequent absences during her tenure, and allegations that she has moved out of the state.
Endorsements
Debates and forums + 2025 Omaha mayoral primary debate Date Host Moderator Link Independent Democratic Democratic Republican RepublicanKey: Participant Absent Not invited Invited Withdrawn Brewer Ewing Harris McDonnell Stothert1 March 11, 2025 WOWTOmaha Press Club Brian Mastre 2 March 16, 2025 KETV Bill Schammert
Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of March 24, 2025Candidate (party)RaisedSpentCash onhandJean Stothert (R)$423,487$772,831$264,907Mike McDonnell (R)$282,352 $240,064 $279,751John Ewing (D)$81,026 $89,804 $66,514Jasmine Harris (D)$32,607 $25,148 $8,430Source: Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission
Results
General election Post-primary endorsements
Debates and forums + 2025 Omaha mayoral general debate Date Host Moderator Link Democratic RepublicanKey: Participant Absent Not invited Invited Withdrawn Ewing Stothert1 April 17, 2025 WOWTOmaha Press Club Brian Mastre 2 April 27, 2025 KETV Rob McCartney
Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of April 28, 2025Candidate (party)RaisedSpentCash onhandJean Stothert (R)$903,927$646,632$257,295John Ewing (D)$535,602 $490,525 $45,077Source: Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission
Polling
Jean Stothert vs. Mike McDonnell Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error JeanStothert MikeMcDonnell UndecidedAmp ResearchJanuary 22–23, 2025400 (LV)± 4.9%34%37%28%
Results
! colspan=2 style=text-align:right | Turnout | style=text-align:right | 94,821 | style=text-align:right | 32.35% |- ! colspan=2 style=text-align:right | Registered electors | style=text-align:right | 293,072
+ Results by city council districtDistrictJohn EwingJean Stothert Write-insTotal # % # % # % 19,47964.82%5,10734.92%370.25% 14,623 26,96381.78%1,52117.86%300.35%8,514 37,87967.04%3,83932.67%340.29%11,752 43,91159.31%2,64340.08%400.61%6,594 55,42740.88%7,82258.91%280.21%13,277 67,72545.12%9,35754.66%380.22%17,120 77,30949.34%7,46950.42%350.24%14,813
Analysis The election results garnered national attention for several reasons. With his win, Ewing became the first elected African American mayor of Omaha and the first Democrat to win an Omaha mayoral election since 2009. National analysts tied the race to an increase for support of Democratic candidates nationwide since the election of Donald Trump in 2024, whom Stothert publicly supported in spite of the Omaha-based 2nd congressional district of Nebraska providing a vote in the Electoral College for Kamala Harris. Local analysts also noted parallels with the 2001 mayoral election, in which then-mayor Hal Daub lost to businessman Mike Fahey.
Following the election, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen blamed lack of turnout from Omaha-area Republicans for Stothert's loss. Other factors cited included the controversial streetcar project and continued dissatisfaction with the condition of local roads, an issue in the 2021 election as well.
See also 2025 United States local elections
Notes
Partisan sponsors
References
External links Official websites for mayoral candidates (eliminated primary candidates) Terry Brewer (I) for Mayor Jasmine Harris (D) for Mayor Mike McDonnell (R) for Mayor
Official websites for mayoral candidates (general candidates) John Ewing (D) for Mayor Jean Stothert (R) for Mayor
Douglas County Election Commission, update result timeline 2025 City of Omaha Primary Election - Unofficial Election Results