Dave Heineman
David Eugene "Dave" Heineman (b. May 12, 1948, in Falls City, Nebraska) was the 42nd Governor of Nebraska. He served from 2005 to 2015.
Heineman originally assumed the role when former Gov. Mike Johanns was appointed United States Secretary of Agriculture in President George W. Bush's Cabinet on January 20, 2005. In 2006, Heineman ran on the Republican ticket for his first full term as governor and was officially elected on November 7, 2006. He won re-election in 2010.
In January 2013, Heineman became the longest-serving governor in state history. A number of previous governors had been elected to the limit of two consecutive four-year terms, but since Heineman first took over the role while serving as lieutenant governor, he had spent nearly two years in office prior to running for election.[1]
Heineman was term-limited from running for a third consecutive term as governor in the 2014 elections, and he was succeeded by Pete Ricketts (R) on January 8, 2015.
An analysis of Republican governors by Nate Silver of the New York Times in April 2013 ranked Heineman as the 27th most conservative governor in the country.[2]
Heineman served as Lieutenant Governor from 2001 to 2005 and as state treasurer from 1995 to 2001. He was chair of the National Governors Association from 2011 to 2012.[3]
Biography
Heineman was born in Falls City, Nebraska. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Heineman served for five years with the United States Army, leaving with the rank of captain. He graduated from the Army Ranger training program during his years of service.[3]
Political career
Governor of Nebraska (2005-2015)
Heineman originally assumed the governorship upon Mike Johanns' appointment as United States Secretary of Agriculture on January 20, 2005. He was officially elected to the position in November 2006 and re-elected in the 2010 midterms.[3] Heineman reached his term limit in 2014 and was succeeded by Pete Ricketts (R).[4]
Issues
Response to the 2014 illegal immigration surge
- See also: 2014 illegal immigration surge
In 2014, Heineman wrote a letter to Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Health and Human Services Secretary, about illegal immigration. According to The Washington Post, Heineman complained about "the lack of formal notification to communities when undocumented immigrants are placed there with sponsors or relatives."[5]
Capitol design
In January 2014, Heineman opposed spending $2.5 million of taxpayer dollars on four bronze water fountains for the state capitol. The fountains were part of a 1920s-era plan to update the state capitol’s design.[6] The fountains were the last phase of the capitol design.
“Spending $2 million on fountains is a nice thing to do, but not needed,” Heineman said during a recent briefing with reporters. “I cannot imagine any Nebraskan who wants to spend money on a fountain … that can only be used two, three months out of the year. That’s not a priority expenditure.” However, 31 Nebraska lawmakers supported a bill to spend the $2.5 million on building and installing the fountains.[6]
Tax reform
In January 2013, Heineman announced he would seek to eliminate the state income tax and replace it by eliminating many sales tax exemptions. He said he believed eliminating the income tax would make the state a magnet for jobs.[7] However, on February 16, 2013, he asked the Nebraska State Senate to kill two tax reform bills, which had been introduced by Senators Beau McCoy and Brad Ashford on the governor's behalf and referred to the Revenue Committee. LB 405 would have repealed the state personal and corporate income taxes while also eliminating $2.4 billion worth of sales tax exemptions.[8] The more limited LB 406 would have repealed just the corporate income tax and eliminate $400 million worth of sales tax exemptions while also exempting up to $12,000 of retirement income from the income tax.[9]
After Heineman's proposal met with significant opposition from businesses and others who would have been affected by eliminating the sales tax exemptions, Heineman said he wanted the bills pulled so that Revenue Committee Chairman Galen Hadley could develop a more comprehensive tax reform plan.[10]
Tax cut
In December 2006, Heineman presented the Nebraska State Legislature with a middle-class tax cut that promised $1 billion of tax relief over the subsequent four years.[11] After working with state legislators, Heineman signed LB 367, the largest tax relief bill in the state's history. The bill provided $425 million in tax relief over a two-year period. Heineman also pushed for legislation that would make the state's Department of Health and Human Services more accountable to citizens.
Judicial appointments
As governor, Heineman is responsible for appointing judges to Nebraska state courts. In Nebraska, the governor makes a judicial appointment after candidates are recommended by a judicial nominating commission. After the governor appoints a judge, she or he must run for retention in the next general election more than three years after taking office. For an up-to-date list of all of Heineman's appointees, see Judges appointed by Dave Heineman.
Job creation ranking
A June 2013 analysis by The Business Journals ranked 45 governors based on the annual private sector growth rate in all 50 states using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Heineman was ranked number 11. The five governors omitted from the analysis all assumed office in 2013.[12][13]
Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska (2001-2005)
Heineman was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska on October 1, 2001, after David I. Maurstad resigned in order to serve as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region VIII. He was elected to his first full term the following year.
Nebraska Treasurer (1994-2001)
Heineman was first elected to the office of treasurer in 1994 and won re-election to the office four years later.
Fremont City Council (1990-1994)
Heineman was elected in 1990 as a member of the Fremont City Council. He served until 1994 when he won election as the state's treasurer.
Elections
2014
Heineman was prevented from seeking re-election by term limits.
2010
- See also: Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2010
Heineman defeated challenger Mike Meister in the 2010 gubernatorial race. His margin of victory was 49 points - the largest gubernatorial win of 2010.[14]
- General Election - 2010 Governor Race
| Governor of Nebraska, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Mike Meister | 26.1% | 127,343 | |
| Republican |  Dave Heineman Incumbent |
73.9% | 360,645 | |
| Total Votes | 487,988 | |||
2006
| 2006 Race for Governor - Republican Primary[15] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Dave Heineman (R)
|
50.3% | |||
| Tom Osborne (R) | 44.4% | |||
| Dave Nabity (R) | 5.3% | |||
| Total votes | 274,975 | |||
| 2006 Race for Governor - General Election[16] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Dave Heineman (R)
|
73.4% | |||
| David Hahn (D) | 24.5% | |||
| Barry Richards (Nebraska) | 1.5% | |||
| Mort Sullivan (By Petition) | 0.6% | |||
| Total votes | 593,357 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Noteworthy events
Lieutenant Governor resignation
Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy resigned on February 2, 2013, after an Omaha World Herald article alleged that he had abused his state-issued cell phone privileges over a span of four years. As governor, Heineman was authorized to appoint an interim lieutenant governor to serve out the remaining two years of Sheehy’s term. Heineman appointed Lavon Heidemann (R) to fill the vacancy. Heidemann was sworn in on February 13, 2013.[17] Heidemann was appointed to serve in this role until a successor could be elected in 2014.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Heineman has lived in Freemont, Nebraska with his wife, Sally Ganem, and their son, Sam.[3]
See also
External links
- Biographies:
- Executive actions:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
Footnotes
- ↑ KearneyHub, "Heineman now in the record books as Nebraska's longest-serving governor," January 22, 2013
- ↑ New York Times, "In State Governments, Signs of a Healthier G.O.P.," April 16, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Governor of Nebraska, " About the Governor," accessed August 19, 2013
- ↑ Omaha.com, "Q&A: Pete Ricketts, who will be sworn in today as governor, offers glimpse of his vision for Nebraska," January 8, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "At least 32 governors have weighed in on the border crisis. Here’s what each has said," July 23, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 WatchDog.org, "Nebraska governor: $2.5 million water fountains ‘not needed’," January 23, 2014
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "The State Tax Reformers," January 29, 2013
- ↑ Legislature of Nebraska, "Legislative Bill 405," accessed June 14, 2021
- ↑ Legislature of Nebraska, "Legislative Bill 406," accessed June 14, 2021
- ↑ JoAnne Young, Lincoln Journal Star, "Heineman to Legislature: Kill tax bills," February 16, 2013
- ↑ Fremont Tribune, "Heineman outlines his tax cuts proposals" 29 Dec. 2006
- ↑ The Business Journals, "Governors and jobs: How governors rank for job creation in their states," June 27, 2013
- ↑ The Business Journals, "How state governors rank on their job-growth record," June 27, 2013
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Official Report of the State Board of Canvassers of the State of Nebraska," accessed December 31, 2010
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "2006 Republican Primary Election Results," accessed November 14, 2007
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "2006 General Election Results," accessed May 7, 2008
- ↑ Omaha.com, "Choice of Heidemann for lieutenant governor called 'great pick'," February 14, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mike Johanns (R) |
Governor of Nebraska 2005–2015 |
Succeeded by Pete Ricketts (R) |
| Preceded by David I. Maurstad |
Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska 2001–2005 |
Succeeded by Rick Sheehy (R) |
| Preceded by Dawn E. Rockey |
Nebraska Treasurer 1995–2001 |
Succeeded by Lorelee Hunt Byrd |
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State of Nebraska Lincoln (capital) |
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