In her announcement Tuesday, Behmer Popp said she’s now running to join the Legislature “because Nebraskans need someone who is going to put people over politics and knows how to fight for our families.”
A Hastings College alumna with a master’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Behmer Popp touted her experience in the Legislature, where she said she spent 10 years as a policy aide and advocate.
Behmer Popp’s campaign website also emphasized her accomplishments on the Lincoln Airport Authority, where she helped oversee a $56 million terminal expansion while increasing air service.
The Civic Nebraska board member and mother of two said on her campaign website that she plans to prioritize affordable housing, promoting small businesses and protecting public schools.
Behmer Popp would be the latest Airport Authority member to springboard from the body to the Legislature. Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart, who represents Legislative District 27, was first elected to her seat in 2016 after serving for five years on the airport’s elected governing body.
Behmer Popp, a resident of southeast Lincoln, is the only candidate to have formally announced a run for the District 25 seat in the election cycle.
Pillen, a Republican, appointed Bosn to the seat April 7 to finish the term vacated by Sen. Suzanne Geist, who resigned from the Legislature halfway through her second term to focus on her unsuccessful run for Lincoln’s mayor’s office in a contentious race marked by attack ads and unprecedented campaign spending.
The 25th District includes the southeastern edge of Lincoln and all of Bennet.
As of this month, the district has 31,127 registered voters, including 15,310 Republicans, 8,960 Democrats and 6,466 nonpartisan voters, according to registration data maintained Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office.
Those total represent a similar split as November 2020 — when the district last elected its state senator — despite redistricting since then. Geist, a Republican, beat Democrat Stephany Pleasant in that race with 67% of the vote.
The formal filing window for the 2024 election doesn’t open until Jan. 5.