Nebraska voters look to future after Trump carries state by wider margin than 2020
For Elizabeth Struwe, the 2024 presidential election was about having a leader who will put the American people first. For Tessa Faust, it was a matter of safeguarding the rights of Nebraskans.
Hundreds of Lancaster County residents attended the Republican and Democratic campaign parties in downtown Lincoln on Tuesday night, expressing optimism and apprehension about what the results could mean for the future.
As of 6 a.m. Wednesday with 99% of votes counted, Donald Trump had won 60.2% of the vote in Nebraska and secured an Electoral College victory, according to the Associated Press. Trump expanded his vote share in the state from when he ran in 2020, outpacing Kamala Harris by nearly 22 percentage points, as opposed to his 19-point victory in the state over Joe Biden four years ago.
Harris still carried the more heavily populated areas of Lancaster County and Douglas County, as Biden did in 2020, but she did so by smaller margins.
In Lancaster County, the number of votes for Trump was nearly identical — 70,076 votes this time around compared to 70,092 four years ago. But Harris underperformed compared to Biden, receiving 75,163 votes compared to Biden's 82,293 votes in 2020.
Struwe, 22, attended the Nebraska GOP's election night party at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel. A Lincoln resident and student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she said Trump was a better presidential candidate because he cares more about the American people than his opponent.
"He loves our country," said Debbie Struwe, 62, Elizabeth Struwe's mother.
Faust, 26, a Lincoln resident who attended the Democratic party at DelRay 817, said the election could affect the rights of certain communities in Nebraska and feared that the presidential results could make people leave the state.
A member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska who will be moving out of Nebraska soon, Faust said she worries Native American rights will suffer under Trump, something that would affect her willingness to return.
"I love Nebraska and I love the people. I want it to be a state that, if I choose to have kids, (they) will be safe, whether they're women, queer, Native American, or others," Faust said.
Elizabeth Struwe, although rooting for a different candidate, also said future Nebraska generations were important in this election.
"The vote that I (cast) today is going to affect another generation to come, and my vote today was my love for my future generation more than my hatred for the other side," Elizabeth Struwe said.
Local impact
Gary Brakhage, 73, of Lincoln, said he was concerned that Nebraska factories had shut down during the Biden administration.
"Lincoln, Nebraska, don't seem to be interested in putting people back to work," Brakhage said.
He also said Trump will stand up to corporate America and fight for Americans' jobs. He said Trump has a plan while Harris did not.
Tony Tozser, 41, of Omaha, said he is traditionally a libertarian. However, this was his first election as a registered Republican.
"I changed my registration to the Republican Party after I saw how the Democrats were using lawfare to, you know, persecute their political opponents," Tozser said.
For Tozser, the presidential election matters less for local issues and is more about the "30,000-foot view."
"As far as how the national election would impact our everyday life, I'm hoping that it means we have lower prices, a border that's more secure and communities that are safer," Tozser said.
"Now there's such a big chasm, in that it's just become so divisive, and that's why I think that this particular election ... there's still going to be that chasm there," Grubb said. "And you have to hope that (Trump) kind of closes that gap so that people can see that, 'Hey, we can do this all together.'"
Andrea Evans, 60, of Lincoln, was cautious as the results rolled in Tuesday night, but hoped that community progress can still be made.
"I feel hopeful for our future," Evans said.
Photos: 2024 Election Day in LincolnCheck out photos from around Lincoln on Election Day.
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