District details

Leahy, CEO of First Star Recycling, previously served as a director for the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District Board, according to his campaign website.

Ostdiek, a graduate assistant at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, previously negotiated and implemented a partnership between Heartland Bike Share and UNO to provide affordable access to transportation without raising student fees, according to his campaign website.

Leahy is endorsed by the Omaha Federation of Labor, according to his Facebook page, and the Sierra Club, according to the Nebraska chapter’s website. Ostdiek is endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska and the Nebraska Young Democrats.

On the issues

Leahy said he’s running because Nebraska is at a crossroads, with high taxes and budget shortfalls. He said he wants to focus on new ideas for the problems facing Nebraskans instead of the “usual political games” of the Legislature. Ostdiek said he’s running because of his experience fighting against education cuts. He said legislators have increasingly been motivated by corporate money instead of putting families first.

Both candidates said affordability is the largest issue of their district, with differing answers on how to address it. Leahy said if he is elected he would work for tax relief, incentivize lower costs for childcare and healthcare providers and expand opportunities for increased housing supply. Ostdiek, who focused primarily on housing affordability, said the Legislature could limit or ban private equity investors’ ability to buy up housing, enable public power boards to freeze utility rate increases or take action against insurance increases.

Ostdiek and Leahy both said they are against increasing sales taxes. Ostdiek, specifically in the context of increased sales taxes as a solution for property tax relief, said he is instead in favor of targeted property tax relief measures such as expanding the homestead exemption. Leahy said he would prefer to find alternative revenue sources by putting state money toward programs and projects with better return on investment.

Lawmakers should not be changing voter-approved ballot measures, both Leahy and Ostdiek said. Leahy said if he is elected, he would be a strong voice to uphold voter-approved ballot measures and implement them whether or not he agrees with them. Lawmakers should not be making major changes to these measures, Ostdiek said, and they should not be overturned or changed in a way that affects people’s well-being.

Ostdiek said the state should pass a statewide data center moratorium so legislators can craft a plan for managing resources like water and electricity with democratic input. Leahy said he is supportive of communities having local control over zoning regulations for projects such as data centers. He said proactive legislation allowing for proper regulation and oversight is needed to protect power affordability and water, and he supports removing sales tax exemptions on data centers.

Leahy said legislators should be looking to return to the tax structure of four years ago to balance the state’s budget. He said the state should lean into investments that will retain young people and keep jobs in Nebraska. Ostdiek said Nebraska needs to raise additional revenue to get out of its budget deficit and add additional tax brackets to the state’s income tax structure. He said legislators should reexamine the effectiveness of current tax incentives and invest in measures like childcare access and affordable housing.

Ostdiek said better wages, more walkable communities, alternative transportation infrastructure and better recreational opportunities are all options that could reverse brain drain in Nebraska. He said legislators and people in power should be more open to measures like wage increases to create an environment young people will want to stay in. Leahy said state lawmakers should focus on affordable homes and places to rent, lower costs and improve access to education to retain people in the state. Leahy said he would focus on improving people’s quality of life if elected.