On May 31, Nebraska State Senator Laura Ebke announced that she had changed her registration from Republican to Libertarian. See this story.
She lives in Crete and was last re-elected in 2014. She is up in 2018 and has not decided if she will run again.
The last State Senator in Nebraska who was registered in a party other than Democratic or Republican was Ernie Chambers, who was a member of the New Alliance Party during 1988, and was that party’s nominee for U.S. Senate. Before that, the last third party members of the Nebraska legislature were in the Progressive Party, and were elected in 1922, 1924, and 1926. Thanks to Andy Craig for the link.
Welcome to the Libertarian Party State Senator Laura Ebke!
Is this the first time the LP has had representation in two different state legislatures at the same time, or did NH and Vermont overlap?
Austin, I don’t think they’ve ever overlapped. You had Alaska, then NH, then Vermont, then Rhode Island, and now Nevada and Nebraska.
Most of the New Hampshire Libertarian legislators switched to the LP in 1992, and the party then elected four in 1992, and two in 1994, but none afterwards, except one in 2000. The Vermont Libertarian win was 1998.
The Alaska wins were 1978, 1980, and 1984. So, I agree, there had never before been any overlap in 2 states simultaneously.
This should be good news for both state parties. Gives the Libertarian party more weight and spokespeople, not to mention credibility.
“She lives in Crete” ? What a great idea – telecommunicating to work from the Mediterranean! Probably much better weather than the southwest of Lincoln, NE. Well done, Laura.
Crete, Nebraska, is in Saline County, in southeastern Nebraska.