Written By Lexx Thornton
John Ewing Jr. was elected as Omaha’s first Black mayor, defeating three-term Republican Jean Stothert and ending over a decade of GOP leadership. Though officially nonpartisan, the race became highly partisan, with national issues like Trump support and transgender rights overshadowing local concerns. Ewing, a Douglas County Treasurer, ex-police officer, minister, and professor, made history in Nebraska’s largest city in the red state.Omaha, part of the politically mixed 2nd Congressional District, is a Democratic-leaning area in an otherwise Republican state. The election results are seen as a potential signal for the 2026 midterms.
Omaha Mayor-Elect John Ewing told his supporters on election night that hard work was the key to winning the city’s mayoral election.
Ewing says he’s made administrative transitions before as a deputy chief with the Omaha Police Department and as Douglas County Treasurer.
“We are going to have continuity… we are not going to have any big surprises because I don’t think that works well. What I found, if you try to shake things up too much you end up losingyour best people and we’ve got some really good people that I think have served the city well.”
Ewing says he’ll be able to do that by making good on a promise he made during the campaign.”I promise you guys that we are not going to be outworked,” Ewing said on election night. Mayor-elect Ewing says he will have his team in place by June 9 with the exception of one person.
Ewing says that person will start on June 16
