District details
Bosn was appointed to the seat by Gov. Jim Pillen after former Sen. Suzanne Geist resigned in 2023. She is a co-owner of Bosn Service Company. She’s a former adjunct professor at University of Nebraska College of Law and former Lancaster County deputy attorney. Bosn told the Flatwater Free Press that she’s running to ensure Lincoln remains a community its residents can be proud to inhabit. She said she has always had a passion for public service and wants voters to know “I will always be open to conversations to better understand their perspectives.”
Behmer Popp serves on the Lincoln Airport Authority. She’s a real estate agent and small business owner. She is also a member of the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Realtor’s Association of Lincoln. She said she spent 10 years assisting in policy-making decisions and advocacy work at the Unicameral. She said she is running to ensure the Legislature is effective and protects the people’s interests. Additionally, she wants voters to know she believes “the best policy comes when we put our personal ideology aside and put Nebraskans first. It’s the Nebraska way.”
Bosn has endorsements from the Nebraska Farm Bureau, Nebraska Right to Life, Nebraska GOP, Geist, Gov. Jim Pillen and others. Behmer Popp has endorsements from the state teachers union, Nebraska AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, former District 25 Sen. Kathy Campbell and others.
Bosn holds a big fundraising advantage. She’s received $193,091 in cash contributions and had $54,386 on hand as of June. Behmer Popp has received $94,215. She had $11,703 on hand as of June.
On the issues
The two disagree on multiple issues, including school choice. Bosn backed the Legislature’s school choice bill allowing tax dollars to go to private school scholarships. She said she wants children to have the opportunity to attend the best school for them regardless of family income. She also said the scholarships have narrowly tailored eligibility requirements.
Behmer Popp said she opposes sending tax dollars to private schools — adding that not all areas of Nebraska have private schools. She also believes public resources should go to address teacher shortages and special education needs.
Both identified property taxes as an issue. Bosn said property tax solutions need to include both cuts to state spending and spending caps on local jurisdictions. Behmer Popp said she would look to cut government waste and explore other revenue opportunities, such as those for marijuana legalization and online gambling, to put toward property tax relief and education.
Bosn voiced support for legislation that would restrict students’ sports participation and bathroom access to their gender assigned at birth, saying that as a mother she believes in “protecting our children in these spaces.” Bosn voted in favor of the state’s current 12-week abortion ban. She said she supports that current law, which provides exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.
Behmer Popp said she supports the ballot measure put forward by abortion-rights advocates, which would generally restrict abortions after 24 weeks. She also voiced opposition to the sports and bathroom gender restrictions, saying the state already has policies in place addressing these issues. She said voters are tired of elected leaders “wasting time on these divisive culture war issues.”
Bosn’s top priorities as an elected official are property tax reduction, public safety and economic development. Behmer Popp’s top priorities are housing affordability, promoting small businesses and protecting public education.
Location
The district covers the southeast corner of Lincoln, the city of Bennet and rural Lancaster County.
In the primary
Bosn received 55% of the votes while Behmer Popp received about 42%. A third candidate received the remaining 3%.
