Photo: Nebraska Legislature
(Lincoln, NE) -- It appears that Democrats in the Nebraska Unicameral now hold enough seats to break the Republican filibuster-proof majority.
Republicans in the Unicameral would need 33 votes to block a filibuster attempt by Democrats, but the most recent elections results put out on Friday show Republicans will not reach 33 seats. The results show that Democrat John Fredrickson has defeated Republican Stu Dornan in Omaha's District 20 race and that George Dungan was victorious over Russ Barger in Lincoln's District 26. Friday's results include provisional ballots, that were cast on election day.
Fredrickson now leads Dornan by 82 votes, while Dungan leads Barger by 224 votes. Final results will be confirmed next Wednesday, but a recount is not out of the question. The wins mean that Nebraska Democrats continue to hold 17 seats in the Legislature. It takes at least 17 votes in the 49-member Legislature to defeat a filibuster. Nebraska Democrats released a statement on Friday celebrating the news saying that the results ensure that, "the party’s 'firewall' in the Nebraska Legislature remains intact."
The Nebraska Unicameral reconvenes in January.