Nebraska Makes History

Nebraska Makes History: The 1986 Gubernatorial Election The 1986 Nebraska gubernatorial election was unprecedented in American politics, as it was the first governor’s race in the 210-year history of the United States where both major-party nominees were women. The record books were rewritten again when Kay Orr defeated Helen Boosalis to become the first female Republican governor in America. The groundbreaking election earned national headlines, with major outlets such as the New York Times and others picking up the story as it unfolded in the heartland. For context of the ‘86 election, in 1982 Democrat Bob Kerrey defeated Republican Charles Thorne for the Nebraska governorship. Four years later, the highly popular Kerrey decided not to seek re-election, instead turning his focus to a campaign for the United States Senate in 1988—a wise move, it turned out, as he won. Kerry’s removal of himself from contention in 1986 sounded a call to a large number of eager candidates, and a crowded primary field emerged in both parties. Seven Democrats ran: Chris Beutler, Barton Chandler, Mina Dillingham, David Domina, Marge Higgins, Robert J. Prokop, and Boosalis. The Democratic primary was a runaway victory for Boosalis, who was the front-runner from the beginning. She captured 63,833 votes, which was 44% of the primary vote. Domina, a lawyer, finished a distant second with 37,975 votes (26%), and Beutler, a longtime member of the Unicameral, ran third with 31,605 (22%). Boosalis took 77 of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Across the aisle there were eight Republicans in the race: Kermit Brashear, Nancy Hoch, Chuck Loos, Paul Rosberg, Everett Sileven, Monte Taylor, Roger Yant, and Orr. Despite Hoch’s initial position as the frontrunner, Orr ran a strong campaign to win the primary with 75,914 votes (39% of the vote). Brashear, a former Chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party, finished second with 60,308 votes (31%), and Hoch, the Republican nominee for the United States Senate in 1984, took third with 42,649 (22%). Orr captured 81 of the 93 counties. When the dust settled from the primaries, Nebraska had made history, with the general election pitting Orr against Boosalis. Kay Orr was born Kay Avonne Stark in Burlington, Iowa, on January 2, 1939, and is still living. After attending the University of Iowa, she married William Orr in 1957 and moved to Lincoln in 1963. She soon began working for the Republican Party in various roles, including working on Barry Goldwater’s 1964 Presidential campaign and attending the Republican National Convention three times. Orr was the campaign coordinator for Charles Thorne’s 1977 bid for the United States House of Representatives, and a year later oversaw his campaign for governor, which he won. She became his chief of staff while he was in office. In 1981 Orr was named Nebraska State Treasurer due to a midterm vacancy, then was elected to the same position a year later. She held the post of State Treasurer until she became governor. When she ran for governor in 1986 Orr was 47 years old. Helen Boosalis was born Helen Geankoplis in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 28, 1919, and passed away on June 15, 2009. She married Mike Boosalis in 1945, and six years later they moved to Lincoln. She soon became president of the Lincoln League of Women Voters, and in 1959 Boosalis was elected to the Lincoln City Council in an upset, subsequently winning three re-election races. She served on the city council for 16 years, then ran for Mayor of Lincoln in 1974. She held that post from 1975 to 1983, and served as the first female president of the United States Conference of Mayors from 1981 to 1982. After her tenure as mayor was over, Boosalis became Director of the Nebraska Department of Aging in the Cabinet for then-governor Bob Kerrey, until she announced her candidacy for governor in 1986. When Boosalis ran for governor she was 66 years old. Much of the 1986 campaign debate between Orr and Boosalis centered on tax issues, with Boosalis supporting a one-cent sales tax increase. She also said, however, that 1986 was not the time to raise taxes in Nebraska, instead espousing the idea that Nebraskans should work together to meet common economic goals. President Ronald Reagan visited Nebraska during the campaign and endorsed Orr, though both candidates said that would not affect how Nebraskans would vote. Orr’s running mate for lieutenant governor was Bill Nichol, a former speaker of the Unicameral, and Boosalis’s running mate was Donald McGinley, who had served as lieutenant governor under Kerrey. On election day, November 4, 1986, the Omaha World-Herald reported good voter turnout despite cold temperatures across the state, with lines at polling places even in the early hours of the morning. At the time, Nebraska’s population was roughly 1.5 million people, and 563,481 votes were cast. Orr earned 298,325 votes, or 53% of the total, and Boosalis took 265,156 votes (47%). There were 941 write-in votes. Orr captured 78 of Nebraska’s 93 counties, including a narrow win in Douglas County (50.1% to Boosalis’ 49.6%) and a more sizable win in Sarpy County (56.1% to Boosalis’ 43.9%). Boosalis, as the former mayor of Lincoln, unsurprisingly won Lancaster County by a large margin, 60.4% to 39.2%. But Orr’s statewide dominance eventually put her over the top. The 1986 election was not as close as Kerrey’s 1982 victory over Thorne—Kerrey won by only seven thousand votes—nor was it as close as the 1990 election, when Orr ran for re-election against Democrat Ben Nelson. Orr lost that election by only four thousand votes. Her popularity in office had diminished with tax reform in 1987 and a radioactive-waste disposal site that was to be constructed in Nebraska. Despite her serving only one term, Orr still made history as the first female Republican governor in America. She was the eighth woman to serve as governor in the United States, and is to date the only female governor in Nebraska’s history. As of 2020, there have been forty-four women to serve as governor in the United States. In 1986 Nebraskans made history not just at the state but also at the national level. Never before had an American gubernatorial election pitted two female major-party nominees against one another, and never before had a Republican woman won the governorship of a state. The election dispelled myths about Nebraska’s supposed staid conservatism and made news across the country. Kay Orr and Helen Boosalis set a proud precedent for female politicians nationwide. When Boosalis died in 2009, Orr spoke about her former opponent’s legacy: “I honor Helen,” Orr said. “She was a very accomplished woman.” Shortly before her death, Boosalis spoke about her career and offered some uplifting advice: “You can accomplish what you didn’t dream was possible. Take a little risk. Be prepared. Set your goals high.”.

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