LINCOLN, Neb – Democrat Leirion Gaylor Baird will serve a second term as mayor in Lincoln.
The incumbent, first elected in 2019, received around 54 percent of the vote according to unofficial election results from the Lancaster County Election Commission.
She defeated Republican challenger and former State Sen. Suzanne Geist.
In her victory speech, Gaylor Baird said she owed her re-election to residents who believe Lincoln is a safe and vibrant place to live, alluding to efforts by the opposition to cast the city as in decline.
"This has been a triumph of our love for Lincoln over the politics of fear,” Baird said.
During her concession speech, Geist said even though the result wasn’t what she wanted, she was proud of what her team accomplished.
“We gave them a run for their money. We scared them. We’re gonna do it again, because we’re gonna win this,” Geist said.
A Republican hasn’t held the office of Lincoln Mayor since Mike Johans in 1998.
According to the Nebraska Examiner, Nebraska Republican Party chairman Eric Underwood thanked Geist on Tuesday for running “on a fantastic platform of strengthening infrastructure, ensuring public safety, and promoting economic development.” He said Geist changed the conversation in the Capital City.
Nebraska Democratic Party chair Jane Kleeb said Tuesday’s election shows Democrats are “stronger than we get credit.” She said winning took a mayor with a strong record of service, a unified party with grassroots support and a public that valued freedom and a level playing field.
“The Republican Party — not just in Nebraska but across the country – has become so extreme that voters of all political stripes are choosing candidates that bring hope and simple kindness to the table.”